Cursed Red A Karkat & Signless AU
by FracturedTwilight
Summary: So this is a Homestuck AU based on Karkat and the Signless (Or Sufferer, if you prefer) that my strange mind has come up with. Sorry for the lack of updates. I've lost my interest in this story right now so... for the time being this is on hiatus, sorry. I'll make edits to the format of chapters from time to time though. (Homestuck and its characters belong to Andrew Hussie :3)
1. Chapter 1

Karkat's eyes shot open and he jolted upward, looking around. He was lying on the ground in the middle of some weird forest he'd never seen before. The trees were large and fully leaved, the branches above so entangled that only specks of the sky came through. Ferns and other foliage covered the ground, making it seem more like a jungle that anything.

"The fuck..." Karkat cursed as he stood up, brushing off the leaves that clung to his shirt. He was seriously confused. How and why was he here? He couldn't remember anything. He decided he wasn't going to get any answers by standing around, so he started walking. He went on walking for what seemed like a long ways, the scenery around him hardly changing in the slightest.

 _Okay, what the hell is going on?! Does this forest even end?!_ He thought bitterly to himself, beginning to get frustrated. What if he just ended up lost in this maze of trees forever? That thought frustrated him even more, and so he began to strut at a faster pace. There had to be something or _someone_ out here who wasn't a plant. Right? He continued this quick pace until he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. He halted in his tracks, and turned to look. A few yards away, a cloaked figure was making his way among the trees, though not with the same desperate speed as Karkat. This troll was paced evenly, in a way that one could tell he knew where he was going, and was in no rush to get there.

 _Finally! I knew that I wasn't the only one out here. Maybe now I can finally get some damn answers._ Karkat narrowed his eyes and began to head straight towards the figure, not even attempting to be cautious. He was too sick of walking to care. With all the noise he was making, the figure heard him easily and turned to face him.

"Hey!" Karkat shouted, letting out the frustration that had been rising inside him. "Who are you and where the fuck am I?" The figure, who still had his hood obscuring his face, lifted his hands in a calming gesture. A low, smooth voice came from him as he spoke.

"Woah there, calm down young one. There's no need to lose your temper." Karkat scoffed.

"Look mister, I've been wandering around these woods for Gog knows how long, and so far you're the only other person I've seen. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't treat me like a wriggler having a temper tantrum and just help me out." The figure chuckled slightly and moved to take off his hood. It slipped down his head and hung off his shoulders, revealing his face. He was charming, in a word. His black hair was sort of shaggy and thick, as if he had just woken up and had a case of bed head. He had nubby horns, almost like his own, Karkat thought, but ever so slightly bigger. His face was well-shaped, with a smooth jaw line and rounded chin, which was adorned with a bit of scruff. His eyebrows were a bit thick, but they fit his face nicely. But what hit Karkat the most about him were his eyes. They stood out more than any other feature. They were soft, kind, and- _bright red._ They pierced into him like a blade, and he stiffened. He looked almost... familiar.

"W-who are you?" Karkat stammered a bit, his mind scrambling to get a hold on this guy. _Where have I seen him before?_ He had to know. The troll became thought full, his red eyes glancing up.

"Hm... I have gone by many names these past few sweeps. Though most simply refer to me as _Signless."_ The name hit Karkat like a punch in the face. _Fuck._ He knew that name. He remembered it now. Back when he was younger his Lusus would try to teach him about his history and his ancestor. Even though he'd never really cared about any of that nonsense, he still remembered the pictures that Crabdad had shown him. _And they looked just like this guy._ Karkat took a step back, his head reeling. He was starting to feel lightheaded.

 _No... No no no no NO!_ This could not be happening. It had to be fake. There was no way that his ancestor was real, let alone standing in front of him. And yet-

"Are you alright?" The Signless asked, slight concern on his face. "You look as if you've seen a ghost." Karkat blinked, his heart pounding in his chest. "I-I.. I..." He tried to form a sentence, but he couldn't think straight. Darkness was statring to fog his vision, and his knees buckled beneath him.

"Kid!" He heard the voice call out as he felt himself topple over onto the ground. A blurry shape appeared above him as muffled words met his ears.

"Hey! Can you hear me? C'mon, stay with me! I'll get you some help. You're gonna be okay..." Karkat couldn't hear much after as the darkness consumed his vision. Only one more phrase made it into his mind before he shut down completely. _It's all going to be okay._


	2. Chapter 2

Karkat could hear muffled voices as consciousness slowly returned to him. Soon, he was able to make out what was being said.

"Psii, calm down."

"Calm down? We don't know thith guy! He could be a thpy."

"He's only a child."

"Tho? Maybe iit'th a part of their plan."

"Stop pouncing to conclusions!"

"Please Psii, he's not a spy."

"You don't know that."

"And you do?"

"Well, no. But-"

"Shh! He's coming to."

Karkat groggily opened his eyes, fully conscious now.

"Urgh..." He blinked once before his eyes snapped open. "Ah!" He jumped slightly at what he saw. Signless was still there, along with three other trolls he didn't recognize. The one closest to him stared at him excitedly through large, olive green eyes. Out of her huge mass of hair protruded two large, cone-shaped horns, and Karkat immediately thought of Nepeta.

"It's okay! You're purrfectly safe here." She smiled reassuringly as she spoke to him. _Yep, definitely Nepeta._ Then a snort emitted a little ways off.

"Doethn't mean we are." Karkat looked over to the tallest troll, who had his arms folded and was staring at him with mistrust in his red and blue eyes. _Sollux._ Signless immediately proceeded to elbow him with a stern; "Be quiet!" Then finally, the fourth troll of the group kneeled down, concern showing in her jade green eyes.

"Are you feeling alright? Do you still feel dizzy?" Her voice was soft and calming to the ear. _Kanaya._ Karkat shook his head, his gaze flashing to each strange, yet almost familiar face.

"N-no I- Where am I?" He shifted his focus to his environment, which was now a large, rocky overhang. The immense forest where he had previously gotten lost in laid just nearby, looking like more of a maze then before.

"Oh this place?" The troll resembling Nepeta chirped. "It's just one of our temporary homes. Nothing too special." Karkat stared at her in confusion. _Temporary... homes? Do they not live in one place?_

"Okay... who are you?" He asked, looking at the three unnamed trolls.

"Oh! Right! How rude of us not to introduce ourselves!" This brought forth another snort from the tall one, but it was easily ignored.

"I'm Disciple, but- you can call me Dis for short. She's Dolarosa, " Dis looked to her, and she nodded politely.

"You may call me Rosa if you wish." Karkat nodded in response, leaving Disiple to continue.

"And the grumpy one over there is Psiioniic. We call him Psii, and-" The Psiioniic stopped her in her tracks, saying his next words to Karkat with narrowed eyes.

"To you, it'th justh Psiioniic, got that?" Karkat swallowed and nodded. He was pretty sure this guy didn't like him. Signless rammed him with his elbow again, staring him down.

"Stop being so rude." He turned to Karkat, red eyes softening.

"Would you mind telling us your own name?" Karkat hesitated slightly. _It's fine. I'm sure that whatever's going on here, telling them my name won't hurt. Just don't sound as freaked the fuck out as you actually are, and it'll be fine._ He took a deep breath.

"It's, uh.. Karkat. My name is Karkat."


	3. Chapter 3

Signless looked at the young troll thoughtfully.

"Karkat eh? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Karkat." The newcomer nodded slightly, still nervous. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Here he was, presumably stuck on some long past version of Alternia, in a cave surrounded by not only his own, but the ancestors of some of his close friends. Not to mention he still had no idea how he got here. _What the fuck do I do? How do I get back home? It's not as if these guys can help me. If I told them the truth, they'd think I was insane._ Karkat struggled with his thoughts, unsure if he should say something or not. Fortunately for him, Dolarosa spoke up.

"Pardon me, but do you mind if I inquire what it is you were doing out in the middle of the forest by yourself?" Psiioniic looked at him expectantly, making it clear that he wanted to hear this answer as well.

"Well I..." Karkat answered slowly, trying to think of a proper answer, but none came. He didn't have the slightest clue what he was doing in the forest, except trying to figure out where he was.

"I.. got lost in there somehow and I'm not sure how to get back home." Disciple looked at him sympathetically.

"Oh no, how pawful! Don't worry, we'll help you! Right?" She looked to Signless expectantly. He nodded with little hesitation.

"Of course. We'll always do our best to help a troll in need, especially young ones like yourself." Psiioniic sniffed slightly and leaned over to him, muttering something. Signless grimaced and let out a sigh.

"Excuse us for a minute." He addressed the small group, heading out into the trees with Psiioniic following behind. Karkat's eyes followed them as they left, until they were hidden by the forest. _Why does Psiioniic hate me so much? I haven't done anything wrong!_ He thought, frustration beginning to creep back into him.

"He's not always like this." Rosa sighed, as if she had read Karkat's mind. "He just doesn't take well to strangers. He's rather over-protective sometimes. But I suppose he has a right to be." Karkat tipped his head slightly in confusion.

"Huh? Why?" Rosa looked to him calmly.

"Well... one way to put it would be that we aren't the most well-liked trolls around these days." Karkat blinked, wondering exactly what that meant. But before he got the chance to ask, Signless and Psiioniic re-entered the cave. Psiioniic looked rather displeased, and flashed a glare at Karkat. It was obvious that the argument that had occurred had not ended in his favor. Signless, meanwhile, approached Karkat and knelt down to speak with him, making Karkat wonder for a moment if he should have gotten up from his sitting position on the floor. But he didn't have much time to think about it as the Signless's piercing red gaze met his. In a reassuring tone he spoke to Karkat.

"I assure you that all of us are going to do the best we can to get you home, alright?" Karkat nodded, though inside he knew that was a promise he couldn't keep. Signless nodded briskly in response, his eyes lightening.

"In the meantime," He said, standing up. Karkat stood as well, no longer seeing a reason to stay on the floor. Signless looked to each of the members of his little group cheerily.

"How's about we get ourselves something to eat?"


	4. Chapter 4

Karkat soon found, to his relief, that the forest wasn't infinite. He followed Signless and the rest awkwardly as they led him to the edge of the woods. The trees thinned out as they met a small downward slope, and Karkat could see the glow of lights from a small village in the distance. The group was there in a few minutes, and Karkat looked around with great interest. The village was rural, though that was hardly surprising. Trolls walked this way and that on cobblestone roads illuminated by lanterns. Small street stores were very common, although there were some kept within the confinements of a stone or wood building. _So this is what civilization looks like in the past? Weird._ Karkat thought as he continued to observe.

However, he couldn't help but notice that some of the trolls who passed him by would give him a strange glance as they went, and he was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable. Dolorosa must have noticed the looks he was getting as well, for she told the group she would be right back, and she headed over to one of the street shop. Karkat watched as she purchased something from the merchant, then brought it back over to him. She handed him what appeared to be some kind of cloth.

"Put this on." She said as Karkat unfolded it confusedly. He then realized the cloth was actually a cloak, light gray and hooded.

"Your attire at present is rather... unusual." Karkat took a look at his clothes; only now understanding how strange a sweater and sneakers must look to someone who had never seen them before. He thanked Rosa and slipped the cloak on, letting the fabric fall loosely around him. With that out of the way, he continued to follow the group as they entered a cheap-looking tavern. _Then again,_ Karkat thought, _almost everything here looks cheap to me._ He once again took a look at his surroundings. The scent of something cooking wafted into his nose, and the chatter of many conversations rang in his ears. He sat down at one of the old wood tables with the rest of the group, and watched as a troll strode over to greet them.

"Welcome to the Tavern! What can I get ya today?" He asked in a slightly raspy tone. Karkat let the others order first, so as not to make a fool of himself. Signless ordered some type of hoofbeast meat, Disciple said she'd have whatever fish they had in stock, Psiioniic muttered that he'd have stew, and Dolorosa simply asked for a vegetable plate. When it became Karkat's turn to decide, he stiffly said that he'd have whatever it was Signless was having, and the waiting troll nodded briskly and whisked away, saying he'd come back soon with their food. The table was silent for a moment, and Karkat shuffled in his seat and cleared his throat, his eyes flicking around nervously. Signless then proceeded to laugh hardily, causing Karkat to jump slightly. His ancestor looked at him, then to everyone else.

"Come now you all, lighten up a bit. It's not every day we get to eat out on a special occasion like this!" Rosa looked to him in slight confusion.

"What special occasion are you referring to?" Signless smiled, looking to Karkat.

"Why, the meeting of our new young friend of course!" Karkat blinked in surprise, unsure how to respond. Not as if he would have gotten the chance, as the meals the group ordered were delivered to them. Signless thanked the troll for serving them, then once again addressed the group.

"We eat tonight to thank the forces of fate for guiding Karkat to us. I hope we can assist you on finding your way back home." Disciple and Dolorosa followed him up cheerfully, while Psiioniic only muttered something incoherent. Karkat kindly thanked them for their generosity, then began to work at his food. However, despite the majority of peppy attitudes, Karkat was starting to feel more hopeless than he'd even been.


	5. Chapter 5

The meal was fairly pleasant, even if it wasn't up to Karkat's standards. He supposed he'd better get used to it. _Gog knows how long I may be stuck here for._ He exited the tavern with the rest of the group, still hanging back despite the mostly warm welcome. He still wasn't fully comfortable with them, and he knew for a fact that Psiioniic was definitely uncomfortable with _him,_ so he stayed quiet and threw the hood on his new cloak up over his head. The group walked along the street for a while, chatting about this and that, casually enjoying their simple conversations. But Karkat wasn't really paying much attention.

His mind was drifting into a troubled place, and questions he couldn't find the answer to hovered about. _How did I get here? The last thing I remember is hanging out with Dave on the meteor and then... nothing. Did Strider fuck me over with his time powers or something? No, he couldn't pull off any crazy shit like this, let alone manage to put me within walking distance of my ancestors whereabouts. Maybe Aradia...? That seems slightly more likely. She's capable of some pretty weird stuff... but why? Why throw me back here? That's a piece that doesn't fit._ Karkat kicked at a pebble with his shoe, staring blankly at it as it bounced away, clicking against the street as it went. _More importantly, how do I get back?_ Can _I even get back?_

His heart sunk at the thought. He didn't want to be stuck here forever. He was so deep in thought that when he finally looked up, he realized he was no longer with the group. He must've been so focused, that hadn't noticed they'd taken a turn down another path.

"Oh, fantastic." He growled under his breath.

"Great job Vantas, you just managed to get yourself lost twice in one day. Congratulations fuckass, you're a real winner." He looked around where he stood, but found no trace of his comrades amongst the many other trolls that walked the streets. He groaned in frustration, and started to work his way back the way he came. When he met with a diverging path, he turned onto it, taking a guess that the others might have done the same. However, he soon began to think otherwise. As he went forward, the buildings around him began to grow more and more shabby. Some of them looked like they were rotting away, with broken windows and holes in the roofs. Others looked too small to have even one troll living in them, and they might as well have been slightly larger than average closets.

He also noticed more of the trolls he passed by looked rather rugged, their clothes wearing out and their faces grim. This place was starting to make Karkat uneasy, and he subconsciously began to quicken his pace. Soon, the hair on the back of his neck was beginning to stand up, and he started to feel like he was being followed. He tried to tell himself he was being ridiculous but, out of anxiety, he glanced over his shoulder and looked behind him. Someone was keeping a very steady pace behind him, and Karkat felt a chill creep down his spine. He turned his gaze forward and breathed in shakily, speeding up again ever so slightly.

He had entered the bad part of town, alone, and now he had to think of some kind of plan to escape from the shadow that crept along behind him. _And fast._


	6. Chapter 6

Karkat looked around quickly for some means of deterring his assailant. Maybe he could slip down one of the side roads and make his way back where he came, then lose the guy in the crowd. Without coming up with any better ideas, he took a sharp turn and began to head down a smaller path. Wiith lanterns not illuminating this area, it became rather dark, and Karkat was left to use the small amounts of moonlight that shown through the clouds to guide himself. He took a right, then a left, then another left, and then another right. Unfortunately, his chosen path ended with a wall.

"Shit! Dead end." he hissed. Then he slowly turned, the sound of footsteps approaching him. He swallowed the lump in his throat. _Literally._ The crook who had been following him stopped, his yellow eyes flashing hungrily in the dim light. Even with the limited visibility, Karkat could see a grin slowly creep its way onto his face. Heart pounding rapidly in his chest, Karkat backed himself up until he was pressed against the wall.

"W-what the fuck do you want?!" he shouted shakily at the troll before him, his voice cracking slightly. The crook laughed hoarsely, his voice hard and grating, rattling Karkat to the core.

"Why, I saw a finely dressed young troll walking down the street without any assistance, so I reckoned I'd lend a hand."

The crook took a few slow paces forward, and Karkat pushed up harder against the wall, almost like he was trying to move it out of the way.

"Stay away from me!"

The troll snickered at Karkat's protest.

"Why I know, let's make a deal shall we? You hand over everything you got on ya," Karkat's eyes widened as the moon rays met with a dagger, making it glow with evil intent. "And I might just let ya live."

Karkat stood frozen and trembling against the wall, knowing his chances of getting out of this unscathed were slim to none. _Well then,_ he thought, _If this is how I die, then I might as well go out with my dignity in tact._ He surpressed the fear rising within him and steadied his voice.

"Fuck. You." he growled, watching as the crooks smirk became a grimace, and he approached Karkat, dagger bared. Karkat shut his eyes, bracing himself for the blade to pierce him, to rip a hole in him. But instead, he heard a slight cry of surprise followed by a loud thump. Karkat wanted to open his eyes and see what had happened but fear kept him stiff. He heard someone approach him, and stop a few feet away.

"Hey, Karkat, you okay? Did thith athhole hurt you?"

Karkat couldn't believe his ears. _That sounds like..._ He opened his eyes and received his confirmation. Psiioniic was kneeling down in front of him, waiting for an answer. Behind him, the crook was face-down on the ground and out cold. Karkat blinked, surprised and relieved all at once.

"N-no but... Why did you..."

Psiioniic sighed and stood up.

"Ith's kinda hard to be thuthspicious of a kid who can't even defend himthelf. Tho I gueth you're truthstworthy. And bethsides, Thighnless would kill me if he found out I let thomthing happen to you."

Karkat nodded slightly, looking up at him.

"Thank you Psiioniic."

The tall troll looked away sheepishly and began to walk back.

"You can juth call me Psii now, okay? Now c'mon, the others are worried about you."


	7. Chapter 7

Psiioniic lead Karkat back to the main road, and Karkat breathed a sigh of relief as he made his way out of the shady neighborhood. _Thank fuck that's over._ Signless, Dolorosa, and Disciple were all standing in a worried group, and they all flocked over to him when he came walking over.

"Oh thank goodness, you had us all worried." Rosa said as Dis nodded eagerly.

"We turned around and couldn't find you, and we didn't know where you could have pawssibly gone!"

Signless let out a deep breath, as if he was releasing his contained tension.

"I'm glad to see you're alright. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Karkat nodded, a little surprised that a group a trolls he had only just met had been this worried about him.

"I'm fine, really."

He glanced at Psiioniic out of the corner of his eye.

"Though I would've been worse off if Psii hadn't shown up."

The group turned to Psii in slight surprise and confusion. He shrugged his shoulders, looking away.

"It wath juth thome douchebag with a knife. Not a big deal."

Signless blinked in astonishment.

"Wait- a knife? Someone tried to attack you?"

He looked to Karkat with new concern, making him feel slightly unnerved.

"Yeah.. b-but I'm not hurt, really! He didn't even get a chance to touch me."

Signless nodded, although still concerned. He looked back to Psiioniic.

"Thank you for keeping him safe, my friend."

Psii just shrugged again, not responding. Karkat looked at the trolls around him in confused wonderment.

"Were you really that worried about me?"

They looked to him as if he had just asked the most outrageous question on the planet.

"Of course we were. We don't want you harmed or lost." Rosa answered.

"But... why? You barely know who I am. Why should you care?"

Karkat shuffled, downcast. Disciple blinked her olive green eyes happily.

"Because you're our furiend silly!"

Karkat looked at her in astonishment.

"What?"

Signless kneeled down in front of him, diverting his attention. He placed a hand on his shoulder and looked right into his eyes, bright red meeting gray.

"Karkat, there's something you must understand about us." he spoke, his tone serious but kind, "We aren't like other trolls. We don't sniff and turn away from someone who needs our help, stranger or not. We know you well enough to say that we trust you and we're willing to help you in any way we can. That makes you our friend, and if our friend gets lost, then we're going to worry. Do you see that?"

Karkat stood silently for a moment, processing what he had just heard. _They trust me? After knowing me for less than a day, they already consider me a friend? Are they crazy or... are they just good people?_ He looked into the burning red eyes of his ancestor, which still sent chills down his spine.

"Yeah I... I guess that makes sense."

Signless smiled lightly and stood, looking to the horizon.

"Good. Now I think it's about time we start heading back home. Looks like the sun will be up soon."

Karkat looked off to the distance. The dark sky was beginning to brighten softly behind the shadowy mountains. The idea of sleep sounded great to Karkat right now, this had been a long, stressful, and confusing day that he just wanted to get over with. He followed the others back a bit more closely this time, so as to avoid losing them a second time. Yet the whole way back, he kept repeating what Signless had said. He claimed to know enough about Karkat to trust him. But would he still feel the same way if he knew everything? Karkat honestly didn't know if he wanted the answer to that question.


	8. Chapter 8

Karkat dreamt that day, and with his dream-self dead and no dream bubbles to go to, this dream was purely a work of his own subconscious. He almost mistook it for a dream bubble at first though, for he seemed to be reliving a memory. He was in his hive, in Alternia before he played SGRUB and screwed the whole world to oblivion. He sighed, looking around made him realize how much he missed this place, Crabdad and all. He walked around inside a bit, taking in the feel of his former home. Then, he heard something outside. It was a long, whining, mournful sound, and Karkat headed to the closest door leading outside, which was the balcony door.

As he threw the door open, a hot blast of wind hit his face, and he instinctively threw his arm up to cover his eyes. Upon lowering it, his eyes widened in horror. _Fire..._ The whole world outside his door was one enormous, raging inferno. Bright red-orange light jumped and danced ferociously in waves across the ground, destroying any chance of life. Smoke hung so thickly in the sky that they could have been storm clouds, blotting out any hope of seeing the moons or the stars. The whining noise hit Karkat's ears louder this time, and he could now make out what it was. It was... screaming. The distant cries of pain and terror of those trapped within the flames were all combining into one deadly chorus. Karkat stood frozen in terror at this nightmare that had thrust _itself_ before him. He had done this, he had forced everyone on Alternia to die like this.

 _Why...? Why did you do this?_ The screams were beginning to be coherent and accusatory. _It's your fault... it's always your fault. Trust the mutant to fuck everything up._ Karkat shrunk back, covering his ears with his hands. The flames around him were beginning to twist and bend unnaturally, forming haunting figures. The voices began to grow louder and angrier, lashing at Katkat with tormented words. _You did this. You can't do anything right. Mutant. Outcast. You shouldn't even exist. Freak. Fuck up. You should have died with us. Sorry excuse for a troll. Pathetic. Worthless._ Karkat was on his knees now, desperately trying to block out the painful speech being burned into his skull.

"I'm sorry! I'm so fucking sorry!"

He just wanted to wake up already, end this horrible dream. But the dream wasn't done with him yet. The harsh, loathing cries slowly began to fade, and the blazing heat of the fire became cold. Karkat paused a moment, trembling. Then cautiously looked up, removing his hands from his head. The destroyed image of Alternia was gone, and he now sat in a never-ending expanse of cold darkness. A slight twinge of relief started to edge its way into him, but it was short lived. Instead of hearing endless, pained voices, a single, sad, and familiar voice entered his mind.

 _Why didn't you help us Karkitty? Where were you when we needed you?_

Karkat felt an immediate feeling of guilt and sadness strike his heart, and he looked around in the dark.

"Nepeta I-" he didn't get the chance to continue as another voice spoke.

 _I thought you wwere the leader Kar. Aren't leaders supposed to keep the group together?_

"Eridan-"

 _I would have expected someone with leadership status to perform STRONGER than you did._

Karkat was beginning to feel worse and worse, his eyes stinging.

"Equius-"

 _We trusted you with everyfin, and you just let us sink._

"Feferi please-"

 _I was never very.. uh, confident. But I put some confidence in you and, well, I guess, that was a mistake._

He really didn't think he could take much more of this.

"Tavros..."

Each voice of his friends hit him like a stab to his chest, and he huddled closer to himself. _Karkat... Karkat..._ The voices echoed his name mournfully around him, and he wished he could have the mass of hateful scolding instead. He buried his head in his knees, listening as the chanting went on, until one voice began to get louder than the rest. _Karkat.. Karkat!_

"Karkat! Karkat, wake up!"

He jumped, his eyes jolting open. Panting, he looked up at Signless, who looked at him with concern, one hand placed calmingly on his shoulder.

"Are you alright? You were moaning in your sleep."

Karkat swallowed, calming himself down.

"Y-yeah." he replied, half lying. "Just a bad dream."


	9. Chapter 9

Turns out that nightmares make a full day's rest completely useless. Karkat was exhausted, and he felt worse off than he did yesterday. Signless and the rest, however, were very well rested and already planning out what would happen tonight. Karkat yawned as he shuffled a bit closer so he could hear them.

"Do we have an approximate guess of how many will come tonight?" Signless asked to no one specifically.

"It is always hard to tell, but I would assume more will attend than the amount we had last time." Rosa answered logically.

 _What are they talking about? Attend what?_ Karkat continued listening quietly, hoping they would elaborate more on their own.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. The crowds do tend to get bigger as we go don't they? But the space we have set will still be enough, right?" Signless inquired, receiving a brisk nod from Rosa.

"I believe so. It is a fair amount of room."

Signless nodded confidently.

"Good."

He suddenly looked back at Karkat, as if only just noticing his presence. His face flashed briefly with conviction, as if he had to quickly make a hard decision, then he leaned over to Rosa and whispered something to her. She cast a quick jade glance at him, then muttered something that sounded like an agreement. _Oh, what now?_ Karkat groaned mentally. Why were they always whispering about him? Signless focused back on him and motioned him to follow.

"Karkat, take a walk with me."

Karkat followed his ancestor out of the small cave and into the forest, the thick of trees still looking as confusing to navigate as ever. But Signless led him easily to a small clearing where a bit of moonlight was able to breach the leaves and set a glow on the grass below. He sat down, and Karkat did the same, setting himself down at a comfortable distance. Signless looked directly at him in that way that made him uncomfortable. His eyes were just too... _red?_ Despite what he wanted to believe, Karkat knew that wasn't the real reason. He really wasn't fully sure what the reason was himself.

"Tell me Karkat," Signless spoke, averting him from his thoughts.

"How did you end up lost in the middle of these woods?"

The question wasn't accusatory, only simple curiosity.

"Well..."

Karkat knew he couldn't lie about this even if he tried, so he answered honestly.

"I really don't know. I just sorta... woke up here."

Signless nodded slowly, taking in his answer.

"I see. Well, I can tell you definitely aren't from around here, even if your clothes weren't different."

Karkat glanced awkwardly at his sneakers, feeling slightly subconscious.

"You've got this... _air_ about you. Almost as if you belong to a different time."

Karkat tensed slightly, biting his lip. _Does he know?_ Signless chuckled a bit, not noticing the reaction he had caused.

"Of course, anyone could say that to someone of a younger generation."

Karkat relaxed.

"But now that also draws me to the symbol on your top."

He stared at the gray markings with interest.

"Most trolls have their symbol colored with their blood caste, yet yours is gray. Why is that?"

 _Dammit, how do I answer that?_ Karkat knew he couldn't just up and say he was a mutant, whether he was in the presence of his ancestor or not.

"I see no need to flash my blood color around like a name tag. It's stupid."

He went with one of the answers he would tell his friends when they asked him why he typed in gray, hoping it would be enough. Signless looked at him with a new spark of curiosity lighting his eyes.

"Interesting. So then you don't embrace the hemospectrum for what it is?"

Karkat snorted.

"No. It's a waste of everybody's time. Just cause your blood is purple or something doesn't make you better that someone who has yellow." he huffed, thinking of Sollux.

"Besides, the troll with yellow blood is probably gonna be able to do way more shit than the purple guy because he's psychic."

Signless was clearly taking in every word Karkat said with great amusement.

"Fascinating. Not many trolls share such a bold opinion. You are certainly one-of-a-kind, Karkat. There's no denying that." he said with a slight laugh as he stood up. Karkat stood as well, glad that he didn't press on what his blood color actually was.

"This was very enlightening, Karkat, thank you. We should do this again. Now come on, we need to get back."

Karkat followed Signless back to the cave, only to be struck with confusion as he set out to leave with Psii and Dis almost immediately upon arrival. When questioned as to where they were going, the only response he got was;

"We're going to a meeting, maybe we'll bring you next time."

Then they left. Rosa had apparently stayed behind to keep the cave safe, although Karkat knew that just meant wrigglersitting. The whole night they were gone Karkat spent in the cave wondering what this "meeting" actually was.


	10. Chapter 10

The three didn't return until nearly dawn. Karkat was lying on the floor with his back to the entrance of the cave when he heard them return. He had told Rosa he was going to sleep, but after the previous day's events he just couldn't, despite his exhaustion. He listened as they shuffled into the cave, and as Rosa's soft footsteps went to meet them.

"How did it go?" she whispered.

Signless let out a soft sigh before quietly replying, "It went well. You were right about there being a larger group. Fortunately, we kept the arguments down to a minimum."

Karkat listened as they moved around a bit, presumably setting themselves in a sitting position.

"Tho I gueth that meanth we'll be moving on from thith town then?" Psii asked. Dis let out a barely audible whimper.

"Aw, and I really liked this place too."

Signless answered with a slight tone of disappointment.

"Yes we are. There's nothing more for us to do here, and we still have plenty of other town to visit." Rosa murmured her agreement, then paused for a moment before asking, "What about Karkat?"

He could almost feel all eyes turn on him, and Karkat resisted the urge to shift in discomfort. "

He's coming with us of course." Signless said matter-of-factly.

Psii wasn't as sure.

"Really? Aren't we thuppothed to be helping him home?"

Signless answered very pointedly, "We are. But this clearly isn't his home, so having him stay here by himself would be pointless. If he comes with us, we may end up finding his home along the way."

Dis purred in agreement.

"Right. We can't pawssibly leave him here after we purromised we'd help."

Signless laughed softly.

"Besides, I'm growing to enjoy his company."

Karkat felt something stir inside him, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling.

"By the way, if you can pardon my nosiness, what is it that you talked with him about?" Rosa inquired.

Signless shuffled a bit.

"Just wanted to get to know him a little better, find out some of his opinions."

Psii huffed in mild annoyance.

"You athked him what he thought about the hemothpectrum, didn't you?"

Signless chuckled sheepishly, "Yes.. but he actually shares my views though! He doesn't believe that classifying a troll by their caste is right either. Even at his young age, he understands that a lower blood can be just as valuable as a higher one."

 _Wow, way to sweeten my words._ Karkat thought, recalling the orginal way he had phrased it.

"Really? That's intersting. I wouldn't have expected him to have as bold of feelings about this as you." Dolorosa mused thoughtfully.

"Geez, lookth like you found yourthelf a perfect match. It'th like a thmaller verthion of you. Even hith hornth are thimilar."

Psii was clearly joking around, but it still made Karkat feel uneasy that he could make such an easy comparison.

"Oh don't be ridiculous. Sharing an opinion doesn't mean we're exactly alike," Signless said, having it be followed up by a yawn, "Anyway, we should get some sleep. We'll need to be ready for the trip tomorrow."

The others muttered their agreement, and Karkat listened and they all moved about and eventually settled. He laid there awake for a while longer, contemplating what he had just heard. In the end he simply decided he had better try to get some sleep in. He closed his eyes. Ready or not, he was going to head out and see more of the world come tomorrow night.


	11. Chapter 11

Karkat felt someone nudging him awake. He had somehow managed to fall asleep after all. "Hey Karkat, wake up. We've got to get going." Blinking the sleep from his eyes he looked at Signless. "Going where?" He yawned, stretching. He knew they were leaving already, but he still would like to know where exactly. "We're heading to another town. So up and at 'em! Can't travel anywhere when you're asleep." Karkat got up stiffly, as sleeping on a stone floor wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing ever. Regardless, he followed Signless out of the cave to where the others were waiting, and listened as he began to address them. "Alright, we're all awake now. Does anyone have anything they need to do before we head out?" He looked to each member, receiving no responses. "Well then, let's get going." He took the lead confidently, moving at a bold pace. Karkat however, brought up the rear. He was slightly envious of his ancestor. _He's so sure of himself. He's the leader, and he knows that others will follow his choices. How does he do it so well? What happened in the gene pool to make me fuck it up so bad?_ He sighed quietly. Yet not so quiet that Psii, who was walking a few paces in front of him, didn't hear it. He slowed down a bit until he was walking beside him. He didn't say anything at first; he just kept pace with Karkat in semi-awkward silence. Then finally he asked, "Tho, uh.. thomthing on your mind?" Karkat looked up at him, and noticed he looked slightly uncomfortable. He was clearly trying to get to know him better, but holding conversation with him was still a bit out of his comfort zone. "Just.. still kinda confused... I guess." Karkat replied. Psii nodded a tiny bit. "Yeah.. I thuppoth I would be too.." Karkat just shrugged. Psii looked around a bit, looking at the scenery as they walked in silence some more. They were still in the forest, walking through the trees briskly. "You thleep okay yethterday? I know you didn't the other day tho..." Psii asked, breaking the silence again. "Well.. it wasn't a great sleep, but I guess it was better than that night so.. yes." Psii nodded again. "Good. Thath... good." He cleared his throat slightly. "You liking thith group tho far?" Karkat looked in front of him where Signless and Disciple were talking and laughing about something or other, and Dolarosa was following behind calmly, occasionally adding something to their conversation. "Uh.. yeah. You guys are pretty cool." Psii looked at the others as well, then glanced at him. "Thankth.. You're... pretty okay too." He looked away. "Thorry about.. how I acted before." He apologized quietly, as if he didn't want the others to hear him. "Oh, no problem." Karkat chuckled awkwardly. "I probably wouldn't trust some strange troll wandering around in the forest either." Psii echoed the same laugh, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "Eh-heh.. yeah. I gueth you're right." Just then, Signless looked over his shoulder at the two of them. "Hey!" He called. "Quit hanging around back there and come up here with the rest of us!" Karkat and Psiioniic exchanged a glance before picking up their pace to match with the other three. "And what were you two talking about?" Rosa asked. Psii shrugged. "Thtuff." Dis looked at Karkat, her eyes playful. "What kind of stuff?" Karkat replied nonchalantly. "Oh you know, the weather. The state of the universe. Boring stuff." Signless laughed. "Of course you were. Best of comrades, the two of you. Am I that easily replaced, Psii?" The yellowblood sniffed, bumping into him with a shoulder. "Oh yeth, I juth decided you were no longer worth my time." Signless pretended to look offended. "Why, I don't believe it! I thought I could trust you!" Psii snickered. "Gueth you thought wrong." Karkat couldn't help but lighten up a bit as the group joked and teased each other, laughing every so often. He was starting to feel more welcome now, though there was no denying the pang of homesickness in his heart.


	12. Chapter 12

Karkat soon began to understand why walking was no longer the main mode of transportation. They had been walking for quite some time now, though he couldn't determine the exact amount of hours. They had left the forest a while ago, and were now walking across a large expanse of rolling hills. Being out in the open made it much easier to feel the chill winds that swept through the air, making the grass sway. Karkat was glad for the cloak, it gave him a little warmth to combat against the crisp air. However, he was not as used to walking such distances, unlike his companions, and was beginning to get a bit tired. He wasn't going to tell them that, though. _They'll probably think I'm scrawny or something. No, I'll just have to grit my teeth and deal with it. If they can do it, so can I._ Karkat steeled himself with that thought, determined to prove himself. If there was any time for him to test his endurance, this was it. If he couldn't even walk across some terrain, then he wasn't worth the trouble. He thought for a brief moment that he may be over-analyzing his situation, but immediately brushed it off. _So what? Sometimes I need to push myself._ Karkat's mind drifted back to the other night, when his clever thinking had almost gotten a knife stuck through him. _Just so long as I don't push myself off a cliff._ "Hey, you doing okay?" Karkat looked up at Signless. "You need a break. I know that walking this much can be tiring for some-" Karkat huffed and cut him off. "I can manage." Signless raised his hands, amusement lighting his eyes. "Alright, alright. Just thought I'd check." He looked at him curiously, studying him. His red eyes examining Karkat closely. Uncomfortable, he shifted his gaze away. "What are you staring at?" He grumbled. Signless laughed softly. "Oh it's nothing really. You just remind me of myself when I was your age." Karkat tensed slightly, partly from surprise and partly from worry. "Really?" He flicked his gaze back over to Signless, his voice flat with a slight peak of interest. Signless nodded, looking a bit nostalgic. "Yes. I was pretty stubborn and headstrong too." Psii let out a quiet _tsh_ from behind them. "You still are." He muttered. Signless either didn't hear him or was choosing to ignore him as he continued. "I also had, well, _have_ some bold opinions that many others don't agree with. Karkat was listening intently now, eager to learn more about his ancestor. This was far more interesting than being forced to read some stupid book. "You mean... about the hemospectrum?" He asked, knowing that was true. Signless confirmed it regardless. "Yes. I share your opinion of how blood color shouldn't define someone. We should be treated by how we act, not by what runs through our veins." He said these words passionately and proudly, unafraid of sharing what he thought. Hearing him speak with such confidence made Karkat feel that twinge of envy again, but he also felt enticed by his words. His bold manner of speech made Karkat feel like anyone would be eager to listen to what he had to say. "I was rather surprised when you felt the same way." Signless said, looking at him. "I didn't think that someone your age would even have anything to say about such a serious topic, let alone something so forward and loud." Karkat looked down at the ground, unsure if he should have said what he said. "Don't be ashamed about it!" Signless said, putting his arm around Karkat's shoulder. "More trolls should think the way you do. That's the first step to take in changing the world." Karkat looked at Signless as he smiled reassuringly. Karkat grinned back briefly before he pulled away, looking ahead. He now had more to think about. _He was just like me at my age? Does that mean I'll be like him when I'm older?_ Karkat wasn't sure how he felt about that.


	13. Chapter 13

A familiar scent floated into Karkat's nose. He had smelled this scent recently. _Smoke?_ Karkat looked out into the distance. An orange glow was pulsing from behind a hill ahead. "Signless...?" He stopped walking and called over to his ancestor, who was once again caught up in conversation. He paused to look at Karkat, confused by his worried expression. Karkat pointed to where the smoke was rising. Signless, as well as the rest of the group, turned their focus on where he was pointing. Disciple let out a tiny gasp. "Oh no.. you don't think it's..." Signless didn't let her finish as he broke into a sprint, speeding ahead of everyone else. "Hey! Wait up!" Karkat called, chasing after him, with the others close behind. He caught up once Signless had stopped at the top of the hill, looking below him in anger. Karkat looked as well, and his eyes widened. They had made it to the next town, but it wasn't what they had expected to see. The whole village had been set ablaze, hot orange flames destroying every building. Faint cries of fear from those trying to escape the wreckage sounded over the crackling and hissing. _This is just like my nightmare!_ Karkat thought as he stood frozen in front of the burning fire. "Damn it! Not again!" Signless shouted angrily. His eyes were burning hotter than the flames before him. "Fucking highbloods! What gives you the right?!" He roared. Psii came over to him, attempting to calm him down. "Eathy there. Juth calm down-" Signless pushed him away. "Calm down?! How do you expect me to calm down when trolls lives are being burned away by others with no remorse or reason?! Does it not infuriate you?!" Psii exchanged glances with Rosa and Dis. "Of courth. We're all upthet. But ith too late for uth to help here now." Signless looked to them, then the town, then back again. "I-" He sighed in submission, though he was clearly still upset. "I know." He only just then looked to Karkat, who was still rooted in place. _No. No no no._ All the horrible details of his nightmare were flooding back to him in high definition. _I didn't... It wasn't..._ His mind scrambled over thoughts in a panic, unable to process anything. Signless approached him cautiously. "Karkat...?" He reached for him to see if he was okay. _I.. I have to... I need to.._ Panicked, he lashed out at Signless's approaching hand, his eyes wide and unfocused. "NO!" He shouted, making Signless recoil in surprise. Then one solid thought flashed into Karkat's mind; _Run._ So Karkat backed away a few paces before turning around and sprinting away at full speed. "Karkat!" He barely heard his name called over the sound of his heart pounding out of his chest. He had to get away from there, away from his nightmare come true. He ran faster than he ever remembered running before, the wind whipping around him. He kept going until he was too tired to go any further, and fell on his knees where he stopped, his lungs heaving. It wasn't long before Signless had caught up with him. "Karkat! What's wrong?!" He knelt down beside him, rubbing his back with one hand and gently grasping his shoulder with the other. "Are you okay? Hey, talk to me." Karkat looked up at him, trembling. "I j-just couldn't st-stay there..." He stammered, his voice shaking. "Th-there was too much.. f-fire." Signless looked at him with sympathy and concern. "I'm sorry. I should have seen that it was affecting you rather than getting myself worked up." Karkat shook his head, taking a few deep breaths. "N-no. Don't apologize. It's not your fault I'm a fucking coward." He hissed and looked at the ground, feeling stupid for running off. "No." Signless spoke sternly, causing him to look back up. "What?" Signless stared at him steadily. "No. I will not listen to you saying such things about yourself. There is nothing wrong with being afraid, do you understand me? If we didn't possess the ability to feel fear, we'd all be heartless monsters. Being scared is a natural instinct, and it in no way makes you a coward. Got it?" Karkat could only nod, the lecture had left him speechless. "Good." Signless said as he helped him up. "Now come on, before the others start thinking you won't come back." Karkat followed silently, unable to find the words to say. All he knew is that he felt trapped by his bad dream, as if no matter what road he took, it would always be there, waiting to drag him down. And he'd end up struggling to fight it off like he tried today. _But maybe,_ He thought, looking at his ancestor. _I won't have to fight it alone._


	14. Chapter 14

Karkat had calmed down more since they had left the decimated town, though he was still berating himself for running away. _Why did that scare me so much? What the ever-loving fuck is wrong with me? Stupid shitty nightmare._ He looked over to the others, who were no longer as upbeat as they were before. The sight of the ruined village had darkened the mood quite substantially, and now only a few quiet words were muttered in between long stretches of silence. Most of the topics simply related to where they were going to sleep tonight and how far away the next town was. Karkat sighed, looking up at the sky. The stars above him twinkled endlessly in the black abyss alongside the green and pink moon. It looked like the same sky he watched for the first six sweeps of his life, but it didn't feel the same. This sky didn't belong to him. The world he was walking on wasn't his. He wondered just how long he would be here. Would he end up being here so long that he was accustomed to living here? What if he never left? What would happen to his friends? Would they forget about him? Would it be better if they did? The last thought hit Karkat in a darker place _. Maybe they'd be better off without me. What use is a failed leader to anyone anyway?_ He thought about Rose, and Kanaya, Dave, the Mayor...Gamzee... _Terezi._ He wondered what she was doing now. Did she know he gone? Was she worried? He sighed again. _Another thing I'm not good for-Relationships._ He looked over to Signless and Disciple, who were closely walking side by side to each other. The same itching envy crept back under his skin. _How? How can he do everything I fuck up so perfectly?_ He just couldn't comprehend it. He wanted to know his ancestors secret of success. He wanted to know how he could do it right. Karkat knew it was pointless. He couldn't change the past. The most he could do was yell at his past self only to be stuck in an argument that most likely just ends with a big FUCK YOU on both sides. He really didn't want to suffer through that headache again. A bitter wind swept across the hills, making Karkat shudder and pull his cloak further around him. "Feels like a storm blowing in." He heard Signless say quietly, almost to himself. Karkat looked out to the distance, where dark clouds were beginning to gather and blot out the stars. At that point, he didn't know which was worse; the approaching storm, or the gray clouds that constantly followed him and thundered negativity in his mind.


	15. Chapter 15

The group didn't continue their journey until the next night. Signless had pointed out that the next town was still quite far away, and it would end up being the middle of the day by the time they got there if they continued on course. No one was really up for that idea, so they all decided they would stop and rest until the moons came back around. Karkat, unsurprisingly, fell asleep quickly and soundly. It had been too long of a night for him not to. However, here he was again, walking through nowhereland for Gog knows how long. He was groggy, just wishing he could sleep one full day without being woken up at the crack of moonlight. Not to mention hungry. The last thing he had eaten was a quick snack before he left the cave yesterday, and that's not exactly a satisfying meal. But he wasn't going to voice his complaints out loud. _Not after the shit I pulled yesterday. I don't really feel like making myself look even more pathetic._ So he kept his mouth shut and kept walking, only making occasional small talk with the others. The atmosphere around them had lightened a bit since yesterday, but a fog still lingered in their minds. Karkat could tell they were all trying to put yesterday behind them, but it was easier said than done. Signless seem to be the one struggling with it the most, faint traces of anger still visible on his face. Karkat sighed, he figured he might as well talk to him about it, since it would probably make him feel better to get whatever he was thinking off his chest. _And besides,_ Karkat thought as he moved closer to his ancestor, _he helped me out a bit yesterday. I should at least try and return the favor._ "So, uh..." He started, making Signless's head turn to look at him. "Do you... see that kind of thing often?" Signless looked a bit perplexed for a second, but soon realized what Karkat was referring to. "More often than I'd like to." He replied with a serious tone. "I've seen the fires begin, I've watched them destroy a civilization, and I've walked amongst the ashes of their ruin. And why? Because the highbloods believe they have the right to take the lives of those below them and throw them away." Karkat listened as he spoke with bitter passion, letting out the words that had been trapped in his mind. "What makes them think that their lives are not the same value as ours? They aren't gods, they don't have the jurisdiction to make such decisions. But they do it anyway, and kill innocent trolls just for their own satisfaction. This is why the hemospectrum needs to change, Karkat. This is why more trolls should be open to thinking the way you and I do." Signless looked at him, emotion swimming around in his eyes. Karkat shook himself a bit, he had been too transfixed on what the troll had been saying. "But.. how do you make trolls be more open to ideas like that? There are a lot of stubborn-headded people out there." Karkat inquired, knowing for a fact he was right. Signless nodded slowly in agreement. "That is very true. There are some who stick so tightly to the way thing are that even the slightest mention of change will put them in a rage. However, there are those who want change, and will go along with any plan that will give it to them. But a large majority are simply unsure of what side they wish to be on, and are willing to listen to the opinion of others. This is the audience I search for, the ones who I can nudge in the right direction." Karkat blinked in awe, unsure of how respond. Signless looked straight ahead of him. "I hope I can find some of that audience here." Karkat shifted his gaze in front of him. Before him, glowing in the distance, was a not a town, but a city. He could tell it was a city just by the sheer size of it. He estimated it to be about five times larger than the first town, for there seemed to be five times as many lights. "Welcome to Myatt." Signless said, his eyes sparking with a new kind of fire. "One of largest and most dangerous cities on the planet."


	16. Chapter 16

Karkat was almost overwhelmed when he entered Myatt. The streets were bustling and noisy with crowds of trolls and the occasional hoofbeast-drawn carriage. The buildings were larger and more well-built then the ones in the town, and appeared far more frequently. He also noticed there were far more highbloods here than in the other town. Most of them looked rather rich and stuck-up, walking down the street in fancy outfits with little more than a glance to those around them. Some of them appeared to be guards, moving at a slower pace and looking for any situation they could jump into and enforce the law. There were plenty of midbloods and lowbloods as well, who simply continued along whatever route they were going and trying to get on with their lives. Karkat took in all this new scenery with slight nervousness. He had no idea there could be places as huge and busy as this. He looked at Signless with uncertainty. "What are we supposed to do here?" He asked, raising his voice to a degree that could be heard over the crowd. Signless looked around, as if he was trying to decide that now. "Well... I suppose the first thing we should do is get something to eat." Karkat nodded in agreement along with the others, they were all hungry after coming all this way. Signless headed down the street, working his way through the crowd as the others followed as closely as they could behind him. They made their way to a vendor who was selling some kind of meat on a stick. Karkat didn't think it looked very appetizing, but he was hungry. So when Signless bought some and handed one to him, he took it without complaint. When he took a bite after quickly scanning the food before him, he found that it had a fair enough taste. At least, it wasn't such a bad flavor that he felt the need to spit it out in disgust. So he and the group finished off their meal as they walked, stopping in front of a large fountain that stood in what was presumably the center of the city. "Oh look," Psii said sarcastically as he looked at it. "If it ithn't our beloved queen." Karkat looked up at the fountain and saw a statue of a female troll standing royally upon it, a two-headed trident gripped menacingly in one hand. "Her Imperious Condescension. The highest of the high." Rosa spoke with no admiration, looking upon the statue with disdain. Dis growled at it and narrowed her eyes. Signless just sighed and turned to Karkat. "That's the main reason why this city is dangerous for us. She has her guards watching this place to make sure no one steps out of line. If any talk of rebellion reaches their ears they'll be on you in moment to beat that kind of thinking out of you." Psii snorted. "Like I care about her thupid guardth. They're all a bunch of weak-willed tholdierth who don't know how to do anything but follow orderth." Signless cast him a slightly annoyed glance. "Weak-willed perhaps, but their physical strength could crush yours in an instant." Psii was unimpressed by this. "I don't need phythical strength to beat them." He bragged, referring to his mental abilities. Signless just rolled his eyes, not feeling the need to argue about it. Karkat looked back up at the statue. _This is Feferi's ancestor? They're not very similar other than looks._ He thought, remembering how perky and likeable she was. But the Condense didn't seem to be getting a lot of positivity, at least not from this group. Not that Karkat really liked her either. He felt glad he had ended up with Signless instead of her, because he was pretty sure he would have been speared on the spot if she met him. If not, then he'd end up being interrogated and get killed regardless for his blood color. Thinking about that made him wonder if he should tell the others about the secret he kept in his veins. He knew that they'd probably accept it easier than anyone else, considering Signless had the exact same blood. Yet, he still felt like it was something he should keep to himself, at least for now. He would tell them eventually, when he felt the time was right.


	17. Chapter 17

After the discussion about the Condense had ended, the group proceeded to walk around the city. They would mainly just walk down the street and chat, but occasionally a certain store would catch the eye of someone in the group, so they would all go inside and look around. None of the stores really held any particular interest to Karkat, but he would look around in them regardless. After a while, Rosa paused while they were walking. "Oh dear. I just realized I forgot to buy the thread I needed at the shop we were just at." Signless let out a small sigh. "Why do you need thread? I thought you still had plenty left." Rosa shook her head. "I _had_ plenty, but I used most of it mending _your_ cloak." Signless chuckled awkwardly as Rosa lectured him. "If you were more careful, you wouldn't get it caught on everything and it wouldn't tear so much. Then I wouldn't need thread." Signless shrugged. "You don't have to mend it." Rosa looked at him with slight annoyance. "Of course I do. If I didn't, you would end up with so many holes that your cloak would just tear off completely, and then I would have to buy a new one for you." Psii snickered, clearly enjoying this. Signless shot a glare at him then turned to Rosa, gesturing that she had won. "Alright, alright. Hey Karkat?" Signless looked back to him, handing him a few coins. "Can you run back to the store down there and get Rosa her thread? You're the fastest one here, so you'll be able in get this done quick, right?" Karkat looked at him, slightly confused. "Err.. Yeah, I guess." _Why do I have to do this? Am I the errand boy now?_ Signless nodded. "Okay. We'll only be a little further up the street by the time you get out, so it shouldn't be a problem finding us." Psii chuckled again. "And if you do happen to get lotht, I can alwayth come find you again." Karkat looked to the members of the group, still slightly unsure of this, but he nodded and turned to head back to the store anyway, figuring there was no point in saying no. If anything, this was his chance to show he could actually do something _right._ Buying thread was an incredibly easy task. The only way he could mess this up is if he did it on purpose. He made his way to the shop and went inside. _Where was the thread again? Over there?_ He looked around, trying to remember. He walked over to a self and saw it, then quickly grabbed some and headed to the troll working there. He handed him the coins in exchange for the thread, mumbling a thank you as he left. Sticking the thread in his pocket, he began to head back in the direction the group was going. He weaved his way easily through the crowd, and he felt like he was making pretty good time. So long as he kept he pace he should be- just then, a troll bumped into his shoulder, making him stumble a bit. "Ey! Watch where yer goin'!" He growled roughly. Karkat turned to retort, it wasn't _his_ fault. This guy was the one who wasn't paying attention. "You watch-" He froze mid-sentence as he looked at the troll he had just ran into. _No, no! How?! It can't be! Not here!_ It was the troll from the alley, the one who had nearly stabbed him. _How in Gog's name did he get here?!_ _Did he follow me?!_ "Fuck!" He cursed, taking a step back. The troll looked slightly perplexed for a second before a wave of realization washed over him. "Well, well, if it isn't the little _brat!_ Fancy meetin' you here."He snarled, approaching him. "Yer' gonna pay for what you did." _Damn it! Why the fuck does this shit always happen to me?!_ Karkat thought hopelessly, wondering how he was going to get out of this mess this time.


	18. Chapter 18

Karkat whipped around and began to run, hoping that he might be able to reach the safety of the group. Unfortunately, he didn't get far before the thug latched onto his cloak and pulled him back. "Let go of me fuckass!" He yelled trying to tear away from him. The troll only moved his grip to grasp at his hood, holding it firmly as he dragged Karkat out of sight between two buildings. "Shut up ya little shit!"He growled, throwing him against a wall. Karkat grunted and stood up, feeling a dreadful sense of déjà vu as he was yet again cornered by this evil presence. "What the hell are you even doing here?! Did you follow me?!" Karkat asked fearfully. The crook looked at him with angered annoyance. "I could be askin' you the same question, brat. Myatt happens to be my hometown, so I reckon yer' the one followin' _me_." Karkat cursed angrily under his breath. _Of course my rotten luck would have this happen to me. Why the fuck not?_ The thug snickered vilely. "Stupid thing to do, really, cause I've been itching to get my hands on you." He pulled out the same dagger he had branded before. "I'm gonna make you wish ya never met me." Karkat looked at the knife in dread. "I didn't do anything to you asshole! Leave me alone!" He spoke, his voice cracking. The thug twiddled with his weapon. Thoughtfully. "True enough, but that yella-blooded buddy of yours made me angry. And since he's not here.." He took a step forward, readying himself to strike. Karkat sucked in a quick breath, and began to look frantically for a way to escape. He could see only see two options; force his way past or die trying. The second option wasn't exactly appealing, but at this point it was a very real possibility. _Maybe if I can just get him off his feet I'll be able to get away from him._ He thought, trying to plan his move. His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest as he prepared himself. _Okay. You can do this. You_ have _to do this. If you don't, you're going to die. So failure really isn't an option at this point. Fuck! Okay, calm down. Just focus and wait for your chance._ He tensed as the thug moved closer, praying to Gog he didn't mess up. With one final, deep breath he pushed himself off the wall and rushed toward the thug. He grunted in surprise as he approached, trying to position himself. Karkat rammed into his side, trying to knock him down. The larger troll staggered backwards, his footing lost. His arms flailed as he tried to catch himself, and the one holding the knife swung itself straight into Karkat's side. He gasped in pain as the sharp metal sliced deep through his hip, and he stumbled over, grasping it immediately. _"_ Shit!" He cursed, beginning to feel the blood flowing under his hand. _I need to get out of here. Damn it!_ He forced himself up and moved as fast as he could out of the alley, before his assailant had the chance to compose himself and follow. He had to find Signless and the others before he bled out. He could feel his mutant red blood begin to ooze between his fingers. Fortunately, his cloak obscured the wound from sight, and he avoided any unwanted attention from the other trolls on the street. However, he had to bite his lip in an attempt to stop the pain from showing on his face. He felt slightly light-headed now, but he kept going. He just hoped Signless was where he said he'd be. Otherwise Karkat wasn't sure what he was going to do.


	19. Chapter 19

Blood was still dripping from under his hand after a few minutes of walking. He had stopped his fast pace for two reasons; one was that he was fairly certain that he wasn't being followed, and the other reason was he was becoming too dizzy to move that fast. The pain wasn't as intense anymore, but it still throbbed in a way that made it difficult to ignore. For a moment he was reminded of the time when Jack Noir had stabbed him, and he had freaked out immensely. Not that he wasn't panicked right now. However, Jack's blade hadn't cut as deep as this one had, not to mention he had no means of quickly dressing his wound at this point in time. _Where the fuck are they?_ _How far up could they have possibly gotten?_ He thought, his eyes darting around to scan the area in front of him. The streets were clearing out with the approach of day, yet he still couldn't see them. He began to look down the streets he would pass, in the hope that they might have turned a corner or something. But he couldn't seem to spot anyone. He was growing extremely tired, the fuzz at the corner of his vision beginning to grow. _Fuck. I don't want to die in the middle of the street. C'mon, focus!_ He tried to motivate himself, walking further ahead, a tight grasp on his side. Then he finally spotted Signless, and let out a shaky sigh of relief. He was standing by a light post on a street corner, looking around with a concerned expression. His red eyes lit up as he spotted Karkat slowly approaching him. "Karkat! There you are. I was starting to get worried. The others are waiting up ahead." Karkat stopped a few feet away from him, saying nothing. His legs had gone stiff and shaky, and he couldn't make them move any further. Signless looked at him with confusion. "What's wrong? Did something hap-" He was cut off mid sentence as a few drops of blood made their way from Karkat's side to the ground. "K-Karkat! You're bleeding!" Karkat looked down wearily at the candy-red specks on the stone. "Heh.." He laughed weakly. _How ironic. I guess telling them about my blood color isn't going to happen how I thought._ Then his legs no longer had the strength to support him, and he began to slip to the ground. "Karkat!" Signless rushed over to him and caught him before he could hit the ground. "Karkat?! Hey!" He tried to get a response, but didn't receive one. Karkat wanted to say something, but he couldn't get any words out. "Y-your blood.. it's.. you're a.. Oh my god." Signless stammered as he got a closer look at his injury. Karkat felt as Signless hoisted him up onto his back, moving his arms under his legs to keep him up. "Just hang on okay?" He said, the shock in his voice immediately replaced by determination. "There's no way I'm letting you die on me now." Karkat tried to focus his blurry vision, his throat feeling dry and blood staring to pool in his mouth. He let out a hoarse cough, forcing himself to speak before he couldn't anymore. "W-why…?" Signless moved his head slightly to get a better look at Karkat. "What?" Karkat took in a shaky breath. "Why does it… matter to you if I… live or not? I'm a mutant… aren't I? Doesn't that make me worthless to you?" He wasn't quite sure why he asked that, as the answer was obvious. Maybe it was just because he couldn't think straight. Signless looked at him with surprise and a tinge of anger. "How can you say such things?! You're not worthless! You never have been." Karkat could feel his mind start to drift off. "Heh… at least… you… think so.." He closed his eyes, letting his body go limp. "Karkat? Karkat!?" Signless looked back at the young troll again, but he didn't speak. "Damn it!" He cursed, gritting his teeth as he moved quickly to get to the others. "Don't you dare give up on me! I won't let you give up!"


	20. Chapter 20

Signless moved at a brisk pace until he reached the edge of town. Thankfully, the others were waiting there like he had told them to. They were all muttering worriedly to one another, unsure of what they should do. "Hey!" Signless called out to them to attract their attention. They all stopped talking and turned to him, each of their faces lighting up with shock and concern as they saw Karkat unconscious upon his back. Rosa rushed over to him, meeting up with him to match his swift walk. "Oh my goodness! Signless, what happened?" Signless shook his head, not stopping. "I don't know, and right now I honestly don't care. All I care about is Karkat not dying." He glanced at Disciple as he passed her. "You found a place for us to stay, right?" Dis nodded , her olive eyes wide. "Yes, it's just over this way." She led Signless and the rest of the group to a large hill a little ways away from the city. Part of the hill was concave, and left a smooth, rocky overhang in the side, easily sheltering someone from the elements. Signless made his way in and immediately set to work on Karkat, positioning him on the ground. _Don't you dare die on me…._ He thought bitterly as he moved Karkat's shirt up enough to see where he had been hurt. " Hith blood color…" Psii muttered . "It'th the thame ath yourth." Signless gave him a slight glare. "Does that matter right now?" He growled. Psii blinked in surprise. "No, of courth not." Signless looked back at the cut. It was deep, and blood still trickled slowly from it. A lot of the blood had been smeared around by the shirt, making a bright red mess on the young troll's skin. Signless swallowed the lump in his throat. _This isn't good._ He turned to Rosa and spoke with urgency. "I need something to clean this with." Rosa nodded, staring at the wound for a moment before exiting. Dis kneeled down next to Signless, holding his arm gently for comfort. "Is he going to be okay?" She asked, her voice slightly trembling. Signless didn't take his eyes away from him as he replied, not wanting anything to get out of hand. "He will be, he _has_ to be. I'm not going to let him die." He tried to sound as confident as he always did to reassure her, but on the inside he was just as worried as her. Rosa returned with a damp cloth in record time, handing it over to him. Signless thanked her and began to gently wipe the wound clean, the red smears transferring themselves to the clean rag. Once the area surrounding the cut had been completely cleaned, Signless put the dirty rag aside and looked to Rosa. "We need to close this up somehow." Rosa looked thoughtful for a moment, unsure of how to resolve this. "I have bandages, but I am not sure if they are enough." Signless examined the cut. Bandages would help it stay clean, but it wouldn't do a great job stopping the bleeding. Then a thought came to him. _I sent him to get thread. Maybe he still has it…_ He looked around Karkat's person quickly, noticing the spool-shaped lump near his hip. Carefully, he slipped the spool of thread out and showed it to Rosa. Her eyes lit up hopefully. "Of course! I can make this work. Move aside, please." She took the thread from Signless and kneeled down where he was once he had moved out of her way. She procured a needle from somewhere on her, as Signless was never quite sure where she kept the things, and threaded it. Dis, who was still standing closely beside him, turned her head and looked away. She had no intention of seeing Rosa poke a needle into Karkat's skin. Signless and Psii, however watched as she closed up the wound with delicate precision, immediately cleaning and dressing the wound afterward. "There, that's the best I can do. Hopefully there isn't any infection and Karkat will recover in his own time." Rosa said as she stood, turning to Signless. He thanked her politely, looking down at Karkat with slightly lessened, though still present, concern. His face was so young, so innocent. He couldn't die now, not with so much of his life left to live. Signless promised silently to himself, and Karkat, that he would make sure nothing like this ever happened again, so that he would get the chance to experience that life.


	21. Chapter 21

Karkat had still not awoken by the next night. Signless, however, had done the exact opposite and had barely slept. He didn't want to risk being asleep if Karkat's condition took a bad turn. Fortunately, no such trouble arose. Dolorosa was the first to wake up, and she approached Signless with slight concern once she had seen he was awake. "Signless, did you get any rest at all?" She whispered, not wanting to wake up the others. Signless didn't respond, his tired eyes shifting away from Rosa's inquisitive green gaze. Rosa sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I understand your concern for Karkat, but you need sleep just as much as the rest of us." Signless echoed her sigh, looking back up. "Are you _sure_ he'll be okay?" Rosa looked at the young troll for a moment, then back to Signless. "As I said before; so long as he gets enough rest and there isn't any infection, he will recover in his own time." Signless didn't appear comforted by this. He chose not to say anything, and simply redirected his attention back to the young troll. He had questions he wanted to ask, things he wanted to say- but he couldn't. _He has the same blood color as me._ The thought still came as a surprise to him, even though he had seen it with his own eyes. _I suppose that explains why he feels the same way about the hemospectrum as me. He doesn't even have a place in it. How can you agree with something you can't even belong to?_ Signless felt the same wave of protectiveness he had felt the night before resurface. Karkat was _his_ responsibility, he had been from the moment he met him in the forest. It was his job to make sure that no harm came to him, and he felt disappointed with himself that he hadn't done that. But now he felt it was more important than ever that he remain vigilant, that he made sure Karkat wouldn't be harmed in the future. _Who knows what might happen if some troll saw his blood color? If a highblood saw? They'd cull him on the spot, no mercy. I can't let that happen, I can't._ He thought bitterly, picturing the horrific scene in his mind. The idea of some highblooded troll murdering an innocent infuriated him. Rosa must have noticed the anger appear on his face, as she rested a calming hand on his shoulder. "It will be alright, Signless. Nothing bad is going to happen." Signless looked to her with disbelief. "Something bad has already happened. Plenty of bad things have already happened." Rosa looked away, her eyes darkening briefly. "That is true. However, Karkat _is_ still alive, as are we. Is that a bad thing?" Signless felt the anger in him leave as quickly as it had arrived, the combination of his exhaustion and Rosa's words settling him. "No, I suppose not. We could be in a much worse state then we are." Rosa nodded, smiling slightly. "Exactly. Now please, stop worrying so much. Karkat will be fine, just give him the time he needs." Signless nodded, looking over as he heard the others begin to stir. His concern had still not left him, how could it? But Rosa's words had left him with some comfort, and he hoped he could share some of that comfort with Karkat when he awoke. _Perhaps if he knows he's not alone,_ he thought, looking back at the young troll again, _then he'll realize that not everything in the world is against him._


	22. Chapter 22

Karkat felt extremely stiff and groggy, and for a moment he didn't understand why. When he opened his eyes, he was looking at a stone ceiling, and he panicked. _Where am I? What -_ He then felt his side throb slightly when he moved, and then he remembered. That creep had cut him with his knife and he had just barely made it to Signless before he passed out. Speaking of which- "Karkat! You're awake!" He looked over to where his ancestor had spoken, and saw him sitting eagerly next to him. "Are you feeling alright?" He asked, concern entering his voice. Karkat moved himself up, wincing slightly as his side throbbed again. "I've been through worse." He looked around, still slightly confused. "Where are we?" Signless looked at him for a moment, multiple thoughts flashing through his head at one time. "We're just outside of the city." He answered thoughtfully. Karkat nodded, only just noticing the others weren't around. "Where'd the others go?" Signless looked out to the city, and then turned to look back at Karkat. "They all went to look around a little more, get some fresh air." Karkat nodded again, noticing the weird stare Signless was giving him. He looked like he wanted to ask him something, but he just couldn't get the words out. Karkat shifted slightly, feeling slightly awkward. He made a move to stand up, but Signless placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from moving any further. "Don't get too hasty now; we don't want your injury to worsen." Karkat felt slightly annoyed, he wanted to stretch his legs. But he knew Signless was probably right, and he didn't want to make himself worse either, so he set himself back down in his sitting position. "Karkat…" Signless began, trying to word the thoughts in his mind. Karkat stiffened; he got the feeling he knew where this was going. "I can't help but feel slightly concerned about certain… _things_ that you said to me earlier, and I feel it necessary to discuss them." Karkat didn't answer; he had nothing to say. "Now, I want to first tell you that your blood color does in no way make you worthless. You know my standpoint on the hemospectrum, so you know that I wish for _all_ trolls to stand as equals, correct?" Karkat nodded, knowing he would say something like this. "Besides, I wouldn't consider you worthless anyway. You're an outstanding young troll and you're very bright for someone your age." He lowered his voice slightly, as if he was saying something he didn't want to even take the risk of someone hearing, regardless of his current location. "Not to mention my blood color is the same as yours." Karkat pretended to look surprised. This wasn't news to him of course, but he acted like it in order not to make himself seem suspicious. If Signless even _thought_ he knew what his blood color was, there would be more questions than he was ready to answer. "Really?" Signless nodded. "I can trust you not to tell anyone, of course." Karkat nodded. _Why would I? I'd kill us both._ Signless chuckled slightly. "Right. Now the other thing I'd like to ask you…" He trailed off, his expression slightly more serious. "Do you _actually_ have a home to go back to Karkat?" Karkat felt a chill creep down his spine. He didn't want to lie and continue this effortless quest he was on, but he couldn't tell the truth either. _Um... think! Make something up; something believable._ "N-no… I don't. I had to raise myself." He muttered. It wasn't a total lie. On one hand, he really didn't have a home to go back to, not here anyway; and the home he had once didn't exactly have the best parent in the world. Sure Crabdad was there, but he wasn't exactly the "family provider" type. Signless looked at him sympathetically. "That must have been very hard. So that's why you were in the woods then? You were travelling somewhere?" Karkat nodded, keeping with his story. "Yeah… I just told you I needed to get home so you wouldn't be suspicious." Signless sighed. "I suppose that's understandable, but I wish you had told me sooner." Karkat looked down, feeling slightly guilty. He had just replaced his lie with another story. But he _had_ to, he knew that. _It still feels wrong._ Signless looked outside. "I suppose you're just stuck with us then, hm?" He said this in a teasing manner. "Well that's fine. You'll fit in, don't worry. We're a very accepting group. Not to mention," He looked back over to Karkat, a cheerful glint in his eyes. "I'm pretty sure we're all starting to get used to you. Even Psii, if you can believe it." Karkat looked back at him, slightly surprised. They had said things like this before, but now something about it seemed more… _genuine._ They honestly wanted him as part of their group. The thought now seemed tempting to Karkat. But the slight hope of him somehow returning home still lingered in his mind, and he pushed back his temptation, at least for now.


	23. Chapter 23

The others were all very pleased when they returned to see Karkat was up. Disciple almost crushed him when she went to pounce on him, with Signless nearly having to tear her away. They talked for a while, and Karkat explained what had happened to everyone. Once he had finished, Psii looked away with a snort of disgust. "Dirty mugger. If I ever thee him again, he'th pulp, I thwear." Signless also seemed displeased, but he gestured Psii to calm down. "Although this troll's actions were not very noteworthy, it is not our place to decide his punishment." Psii looked at him in annoyance. "Tho you don't care that the guy who thabbed Karkat is thtill running around the city, probably hurting other trolls?" Signless shook his head. "Of course I care. But it's better not to put Karkat or any of us into danger. Besides, this is a very large city, and our chances of running into him again are slim." Psii huffed in strained agreement. "Fine, fine, I get it." Rosa kneeled down next to Karkat, looking at him with motherly concern. "Is your injury alright? Does it hurt at all?" Karkat shrugged. "A little, but it could be worse." Rosa glanced down to the tear in his shirt, the blood-stiffened hole revealing the bandages underneath. "I really must patch your shirt. You simply cannot walk about with it in such a state." Karkat shifted awkwardly. He didn't really feel the need to take his shirt off right now, and it's not as if he had packed extra clothes before he got sent on this surprise trip. Rosa noticed how he had gotten uncomfortable, and sighed softly. "I'll have to go into town tomorrow and see if I can find you another shirt to wear while I repair it, though. It may take a while." Karkat nodded, relieved. _Dodged a bullet there._ Dis looked at Signless with questioning eyes. "Will you still be having a meeting here?" Karkat's attention shifted immediately. He had heard the word _meeting_ once before, and he wanted to know more about it. Signless nodded, not hesitating. "Of course I am. There are plenty of trolls out there who want to hear what I have to say. Not to mention a few who may need to. It's important I have a meeting here, with the chance of a large audience being so high." Karkat looked at him in confusion. _What is he talking about? What is it he's going to say? And why would some trolls_ need _to hear it?_ Signless looked at him, seeing the confusion on his face. For a moment he looked slightly confused himself. "Oh. I suppose you're wondering what I'm talking about. I never really explained it to you, did I?" He scratched the back of his head with one hand, Karkat leaning forward eagerly. "Well… when I visit a town or city, I hold a meeting of sorts with those who are willing to listen, and I tell them what I believe, as I have told you. I… I suppose you can say I preach, more or less." Karkat nodded, vague memories of the lessons he had been forced to read slowly returning to him. It made sense; Signless did have a lot to say after all. "The meeting can get very interesting sometimes…" He looked at Karkat thoughtfully, pondering something important. Then his eyes lit up, as if an answer had just come to him. "And I think, this time, I may let you see firsthand."


	24. Chapter 24

Signless said that he was going to hold a meeting in two days, just to make sure Karkat had time to recover. Rosa used this opportunity to go into town again to get him a shirt, handing him the piece of clothing immediately as soon as she had returned. It was a simple enough shirt; long-sleeved and black with red rings around the shoulder joints. Karkat thought it was kind of odd that Rosa had picked a shirt with red on it. He was trying _not_ to show off his blood color. But he didn't protest as he switched out his old shirt for the new one and handed it to Rosa. The shirt was comfortable enough; the fabric was light and didn't feel too constricting. _Good enough._ Karkat wasn't really focused on the shirt, however. He wasn't really focused on anything, actually. He had far too much on his mind. First of all, he still hadn't figured why he was here or how to get back. Secondly, Signless and his group were more than willing to take him in, and he was tempted to accept the offer. _I mean, as of now it doesn't look like I'm going anywhere but… What about everyone else? What if I mess up the timeline or something and everything goes to shit?_ He may not be an expert on time, but he at least knew how the slightest change to a timeline would change practically _everything_. _If I stay here, I'll have never been alive in my timeline in the first place, and then what? I need to go back…_ But then the wall that stopped that idea rose up again. _But I have no means of getting back. Gog damn it! What am I supposed to do?_ He sighed, defeated. There was nothing he _could_ do, at least not now. So, he tried to focus his mind on something else. He began to think about the meeting that Signless was going to have. _What's that even going to be like?_ He kind of felt like all it was going to be was Signless droning to a crowd of people for an hour, but then he thought the better of it. Signless was very passionate about the topics he spoke of, so it couldn't be _that_ boring, right? Besides, it sounded like the crowd he spoke to often got into some serious arguments. He hoped it would be a worthwhile trip and not just a huge waste of time. At this point, Karkat decided he could no longer stay sitting on the ground, and stood up. His side pulsed slightly when he moved, but he pushed it aside so that Signless, who was now watching him closely, wouldn't make him sit back down. "You sure you're alright? Is it hurting at all?" He asked. Karkat looked at him, holding back a huff of annoyance. "Yeah, I'm fine." He still wasn't used to all this worrying over him. No one was really ever that concerned about him before, and he had gotten used to that. Now he felt like he was being fretted over all the time with Signless and the others around. It was slightly bothersome to him, but he wasn't going to stop them. He doubted he could anyway. Until he knew he could get back home, he was going to be with them a while, so he decided he might as well make the best of it; and if that meant letting them fuss over him, then he could live with that.


	25. Chapter 25

In what seemed like no time at all, it was the night of the meeting. Karkat couldn't help but feel tension rise inside him as he followed Signless and the group to an area outside the city. It was a shallow dip in the landscape, hidden from the view of Myatt and any unwanted attention. To Karkat's surprise, several trolls were already waiting there. Some were sitting alone, while others sat in small groups; quietly discussing something or other. He followed Signless to the higher side of the dip, which was a point where the rest of the clearing could be easily seen. "Karkat, you can just have a seat over here, it may be a while before the crowd comes." Signless said, gesturing to a patch of ground nearby. Karkat nodded and set himself down, looking around the clearing anxiously. Slowly but surely, more trolls began to make their way to the clearing, and the once barren landscape was soon a bustle of conversation and excitement. Karkat looked at the crowd with slight astonishment. _This many trolls came to hear Signless talk? Jegus, don't they have anything better to do?_ His attention shifted over to Signless, who had just finished discussing something with Psii and the others and now made his way to the front of the crowd. Karkat watched as he took a slow, deep breath, preparing himself. Then he began to speak, raising his voice to draw the crowd's attention towards him. "If I may have everyone's attention please?" The crowd noise quickly died down and all sat in an eager silence, waiting for him to continue. "I would first like to thank you all for coming. I am pleased that all of you have taken your valuable time to come here, and I hope that what I say here tonight will leave an impression on you." He took another breath, letting his gaze drift across the crowd momentarily. "I would first like to ask you all a question, and I want you to think about it critically; Are you satisfied with the way your life is currently?" The crowd took up a quiet murmur of conversation in response as Signless continued. "If your answer is yes, then ask yourself another question; Just what exactly is your definition of satisfied? For if you are truly accepting of the way things stand now, then I do not believe you would have come to hear me speak to you. I believe, that despite what you may tell yourself, you are not truly happy with the way of the world. Allow me to tell you, my fellow trolls, that you are not the only ones to feel this way. Many of us out there, those who belong to the lower castes of the hemospectrum, wish for a society more accepting and fair then the one in which we currently reside. However, some of us have given up any hope of this era ever coming to pass, and believe that we will forever be under the rule of those who claim themselves superior. I am here tonight to tell you not to give up on this hope as others have!" Signless spoke to the crowd with great passion and urgency, willing them to listen. "This society where a rust blood could be equal to a violet blood could still come to pass! It is not as impossible as some may think it to be." This statement caused the crowd to stir, discussions becoming loud and questioning. "How do you figure that?!" A voice echoed out from somewhere in the back of the crowd. "The hemospectrum has stood strong for millennia! What makes you think it can be changed now?!" This sent the crowd into even more of a tumult. Signless looked to the back of the audience where the voice had sounded, unable to spot the owner. He raised his voice up higher to combat the multiple voices before him. "Please, settle down and allow me to explain it to you!" The crowd slowly fell back into silence. Signless sighed softly and started again. "Your questioning of my logic is understandable. Who am I to say that the hemospectrum can be altered? The truth is, I am no different than the rest of you. I am but one troll, after all. What difference can I alone make? I may not be able to do anything; perhaps nothing I say will affect you at all. But," He paused for a brief second, taking another look at the crowd. "If I can inspire just one of you, that will make all the difference. Changes cannot be made with words alone. I cannot change the laws simply by saying they should be. It is up to all of us to decide what we want out of life, and no one else's. If we band together, and take a stand for what we believe in, there is a far greater chance of a peaceful future awaiting us. So I implore you to spread the ideas I have spoken of tonight with whoever is eager to listen. Let them know that equality could be just around the corner, but only if they are willing to try and make it happen. There is always an opportunity for change, but only if you are willing to take the risk." The crowd set itself off into another debate, leaving Karkat to stare at his ancestor with awe, his mind drawing a blank. He had no idea what to think about all of this. Signless had spoken with such force and enthusiasm, that Karkat couldn't imagine why anyone wouldn't believe in what he had said. As he sat there, gazing at Signless with wide eyes, he couldn't help but wonder if the Alternia he grew up in was anything like what Signless was envisioning. Granted, the hemospectrum still held itself in order, but he had become friends with high and lowbloods. Would Signless see his society as an improvement? Karkat supposed he would never know.


	26. Chapter 26

For the most part, the meeting continued as smoothly as it had begun. Signless continued to speak his mind to the crowd, with only a few objections raised. Karkat was fairly certain that the whole thing was going to go over without a hitch. However, towards the end of the meeting a rather loud, obnoxious voice sounded from somewhere in the front of the crowd. Signless had just about come to the close of his speech and was starting to finish when it called out. "Hah! What a huge waste of my time! I don't even know why I bothered wasting my time listening to your worthless crap!" Karkat whipped his head toward the direction of the voice, pinpointing a young, rust blooded troll as the owner. He looked to be a sweep or two older than Karkat, but still several sweeps younger than Signless. He stared up at the older troll indignantly, a smirk on his face. "I mean _seriously?_ Why does anyone believe this garbage?" He changed his tone to one of mockery. ""Ooh, let's all be _equals_ and have _peace_ with one another! It'll be so much _fun!'_ Bleh! Makes me want to puke! You're just a loopy old man whose only purpose in life is to rant your crazy thoughts to people who are too dumb to realize how ridiculous they are! Why don't you just go back to whatever messed-up old town you came from and stop bothering us?!" Karkat glared at the young troll with disgust and stood up, shouting, "Well how about you stop being a pain in everyone's ass and shut the hell up!?" The young troll stiffened and turned to glare at Karkat, along with a large majority of the crowd. "Karkat please, just leave it alone…" Signless muttered, concerned about where this might go. "What did you say, you little runt?!" The young troll in the crowd shouted, his dark orange eyes flashing challengingly. Karkat let out a small puff of air, returning his gaze and ignoring Signless entirely. "You heard me! Screw off!" The young troll twitched ever so slightly, as though he had never been challenged before in his life, and began to stalk toward Karkat in large strides. He moved until he was a mere few feet away from Karkat before he spoke again. "You trying to pick a fight, pal?" He asked, rolling his shoulders. Karkat shot him a sneer, tensing himself. _I could take this guy._ He thought, feeling slightly cocky. _He doesn't look like he's thrown a punch a day in his life. He's probably all talk and no game._ "Yeah, maybe I am. You wanna do something about it?" The young troll blinked in surprise, he clearly wasn't expecting a comeback like that. He quickly did his best to replace the surprise on his face with the same resentful smirk he constantly wore, and positioned himself in a sloppy fighting stance. "Yeah sure, bring it!" Karkat held in his urge to laugh. This kid clearly had to fighting experience. _Fighting him would just be a joke._ Karkat looked at him with a bored expression and turned away. "Nah." The younger troll was taken aback. "W-what?!" He stammered, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. Karkat glanced lazily over his shoulder. "There's no point. Fighting you would just be a waste of time. Besides, what good would fighting do anyway?" The rust blood stood there for a moment in utter confusion, unsure of what he should do. Signless, who had been preparing himself to intervene should a fight occur, now looked at Karkat with amazement and the slightest hint of pride. "B-but.." The young troll was still unable to act with purpose, trying to come up with something to say. Karkat simply shrugged and looked away, leaving the other troll to eventually just give up. He left without another word, defeated, and Karkat felt satisfied with his victory. Normally, he would have been just as eager to fight; he wouldn't have cared about it in the least. But in this instance, he wanted to prove Signless's point that fighting was unnecessary just to prove the kid wrong. His ancestor stood up for him all the time, so why couldn't he do the same for him once in a while?


	27. Chapter 27

Signless returned with Karkat and the others soon after the meeting had ended. Disciple was still buzzing about the events that had taken place, her eyes sparkling as she conversed with Rosa. Psii was muttering quietly with Karkat, the two of them keeping their conversation to themselves. That didn't stop Signless hearing a chuckle or two from time to time, however. Signless had nothing much to say at this point. His throat was slightly dry and rough from shouting, as it usually was after his speeches, and he was still replaying the end of it all in his mind. He couldn't help but grin slightly as he recalled what Karkat had done. He had chosen to brush off the other troll rather than accept his challenge of a fight. The small spark of pride Signless had felt at that moment hadn't died down since he returned. He felt slightly confused as to why, and his thoughts began to wander. Perhaps it was simply because Karkat was so similar to himself? Maybe seeing him in that situation reminded him of himself? Signless wasn't sure if that was true or not. Was it that he had been wanting someone to continue his dream should he fail, and Karkat was the troll he had been hoping for? That still didn't seem like the whole truth. As he sat and thought about the possibilities that were opening up to him, he heard a tiny voice whisper something in the back of his mind. _He can't stay._ It was an unfamiliar voice, and Signless blinked in confusion. _He can't stay here._ It said again. Signless looked to the others in the group, thinking perhaps it had been one of them. However, one of them could have said anything to him, for they were all still caught up in their own conversations. _This isn't where he belongs._ Signless shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts out of his mind, but the voice refused to leave. He stood, and walked out of the cave to get some fresh air, telling the rest he would be back momentarily. He walked a ways from the cave, setting himself down on a large rock that protruded from the ground. _He needs to come back home._ The voice said, quiet but insistent. Signless came to realize it was a female voice from the tone of it. "What are you talking about?" He muttered to himself, trying to refute the voice's claim. "He told me he doesn't have a home to back to." The voice seemed to sigh. _Maybe not there, but somewhere he does._ Signless became puzzled further by this statement. "Not here? What are you talking about?" The voice answered vaguely. _Not anywhere I can tell you. It's too dangerous to explain it to you._ Signless became frustrated, his voice rising slightly. "Who are you? Why are you in my head?" The voice paused briefly before answering. _Again, I can't say. All I can tell is that I'm a friend of Karkat. Someone who knows the consequences that will occur if he doesn't return._ Signless felt more lost than before. "Consequences?" The voice spoke matter-of-factly, curt and straightforward. _Yes, consequences. Many troll's timelines will be altered if-_ The voice then cut off, as if it had said too much, then started up again. _Please understand, I'm not trying to be the bad guy here. But he_ needs _to come back. That fact can't be changed. You might have a few more days with him, at most. But he has a role to play here, and it's an important role. I'm sorry._ Signless stood up with a start, no longer making an attempt to be quiet. "Wait! What?! What do you mean 'a few more days'?! Who are you?!" But the voice no longer responded, leaving him answerless and concerned. With a frustrated huff, he turned to head back to the cave, worrisome thoughts now plaguing his mind. Just what _exactly_ was going on here? And what did Karkat have to do with it?


	28. Chapter 28

Karkat noticed the deep concern on Signless's face when he came back into the cave. For a while he said nothing, simply sitting down and staring at his hands while he twiddled his thumbs. He paid it no mind at first, continuing the conversation he was having with Psiioniic. However, he soon noticed that Signless's gaze had shifted over to him, his sharp red eyes looking him over intently, as if he wasn't sure what he was looking at. Karkat shifted uncomfortably where he sat, unsure if he should say something or not. Psii noticed this awkward gesture and looked over to where Signless sat, staring at him with a questioning glance. "Whath up? Thomething wrong?" He asked. Signless's attention snapped to his friend rapidly, like the sound of his voice had brought him out of a daze. "Wha-? Oh, yes, yes. Everything's fine. Just… tired I suppose." Psii leaned back a bit with a huff. "Then go to thleep already. No oneth athking you to thtay awake, you know." Signless sighed, looking back down, obviously still troubled by something. "Yes… I suppose you're right." After flashing his eyes up to look at Karkat a final time, he turned away and lay down on the ground, his back to the pair of them. Psii sighed again, looking back to Karkat, who was still looking towards Signless in confusion. _Why was he looking at me like that? Was he really just tired or…?_ Karkat shook his head. Whatever it was, he was sure it could wait until later. He continued his discussion with Psii until it reached its conclusion before they went to sleep themselves. At first, Karkat simply slept. He had no dreams, nightmares, or anything else of the sort. That was until he heard a faint voice calling to him in the back of his mind. _Karkat. Karkat! Hey, don't ignore me._ Karkat wriggled slightly where he lay, trying to push the voice away. _For the love of Gog Karkat, will you pay attention?_ All at once, Karkat recognized the voice, and he tensed. _Aradia? What the he-_ Aradia quickly cut him off. _Be quiet. I don't have time to deal with your ranting right now. I need to tell you something._ Karkat huffed silently, he had almost forgotten how pushy she could be. _Now listen up. In a few days something really bad is going to happen, and it's best that you not be around this group when it happens._ Karkat felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. _What?! What the fuck are talking abou-_ He was cut off again. _Didn't I tell you to be quiet? Look, I can't tell you what it is because knowing you; you might try to do something rash and try to prevent it, and that would throw everything out of whack. So just trust me on this, okay?_ Karkat found that very hard to do, but he had bigger questions on his mind. _Can you at least tell me why-_ Yet another unfinished question. _Later, when you get back here. For now, just listen to what I told you and make yourself scarce. Not just for your sake, but for everyone else as well. Alright? I have go now, but I'll see you soon. Don't do anything stupid!_ Karkat twitched slightly. _Aradia!_ No response. He huffed in anger and confusion. Just what was she on about? And why now?


	29. Chapter 29

Karkat woke up tired the next morning. He hadn't been able to sleep comfortably with Aradia's cryptic message lingering in his mind. _Who does she think she is, coming up out of nowhere and telling me shit like that? The least she could have done was explain some of it, but no; she had to go and be all mysterious about it. I swear when I get back I'm gonna-_ His train of thought was lost as the idea of returning home came to him. For some reason it no longer seemed as appealing as it would have a few days ago. Now… he was almost… _anxious_ about it. He looked over to the rest of the group, who were already awake. He had grown rather fond of them over the short time he had been with them, not that he'd admit it, and the idea of leaving them felt… wrong. He felt as his anxiety slowly turned into defiance. _You know what? Screw Aradia and her vague-ass warning. I'm not going anywhere. So whatever this "bad thing" is, let it happen. I don't give a fuck. I'm not leaving unless I get an_ actual _gog-damn reason._ With his mind now set, he got up and moved toward the others, who turned to greet him. All of them were as cheery as they usually were, although Signless still seemed a bit off. He still had a concerned look in his eye. Apparently whatever had been up with him the night before hadn't completely passed yet. Karkat just shrugged it off and went into a conversation with the others. They talked for a while until Psii said he was going to head back into town to take another look around. Disciple decided to go with him, saying she wanted to see as much of the city as possible before they left, and the two of them set off. Rosa went to go find a stream to clean Karkat's shirt in so she could mend it, which then left him and Signless sitting awkwardly silent in the cave by themselves. Karkat shuffled, unsure of what he should do. Signless did nothing for a while, only staring at the ground in deep thought. Just as Karkat opened his mouth to say something, Signless lifted his head. "Karkat." He spoke with a serious tone to his voice, his red eyes staring directly at the younger troll. "I want you to be honest with me." Karkat looked at him in confusion. "Okay…" Signless sighed, his tired eyes closing a moment before he spoke again. "Are you absolutely _positive_ that you have no home to return to?" Karkat felt his heart skip a beat. Had Signless begun to catch on? Did he realize that he wasn't from this timeline? _What do I say? Damn! What am I supposed to say?!_ He didn't want to lie but… could he really risk telling the truth? What would Signless say if he did? He struggled to come up with a response as Signless continued to stare at him silently, his sharp red gaze unwavering. Karkat was having an all out war in his head. He had come to trust Signless and the others, so shouldn't he return the favor? But what if he ended up causing more of a mess by doing so? Should he continue to tell them the lies he had started with, or should he finally fess up? Karkat was pretty sure that no matter what choice he made at this point, he would have serious consequences to pay.


	30. Chapter 30

Signless studied Karkat's face as he shifted awkwardly. From what he could tell, his question had left him scrambling for the right words to say. _Perhaps he is simply uncomfortable with the way he was raised._ Signless tried telling himself that for reassurance, but he couldn't get rid of the itching suspicion in the back of his mind. _Or perhaps he was lying to me from the start. But why? What reason does he have to hide the truth so?_ He felt slightly ashamed for accusing Karkat of lying like that, but he didn't know what else to think. Had the voice in his head been speaking the truth, then Karkat did indeed have a home, not to mention friends. _But why am I so sure that the_ voice _wasn't the liar here? Perhaps it wasn't even a voice at all, just my inner fears trying to make me succumb to them?_ Signless was unsure. He continued to look at Karkat, who appeared more and more conflicted with each passing second. He wanted to just pull back from his questioning and settle whatever internal struggle Karkat seemed to be facing, but he didn't. He had to know. At last, Karkat seemed to have made a decision, letting his gray-red eyes meet with Signless's. "I…" His voice wavered slightly, and he took a deep breath before restarting his sentence. "I… I _do_ have a home, sort of. But it isn't here, I mean- of course it's not _here,_ I don't live in a cave, but, it's somewhere, well it _was_ somewhere- now it's gone and I temporarily live somewhere else and I don't know how to get back there, and- _fuck_ this sounds really bad." He put his hands to his head, running them through his hair anxiously, no longer looking at Signless, who sat in shock and confusion. _So the voice wasn't lying after all. He_ does _have a home to go back to. But what in hell's name is he rambling about? What does he mean 'it's not here?'_ Signless let out a breath and tried to be rational. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" He asked, trying to keep his tone calm. Karkat stiffened, dropping his hands to his sides but still not looking at Signless. "I couldn't." He muttered. Signless tipped his head slightly. "What do mean? Why not?" Karkat continued to avert his gaze, and Signless now made the assumption that it was out of shame. "Because you wouldn't understand … and it wasn't safe." More questions made their way to Signless's ever-growing list. _Wouldn't understand? Not safe? Just where is he from?_ "Karkat, you _do_ know you can trust me, right?" Karkat gave no response, only glanced up for a moment before looking at the ground again. There were so many things Signless wanted to say, so many questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't know where to start or how he should say them. He and Karkat sat in silence for a few moments before Karkat finally spoke. "Sorry." Was all he said, and Signless could see he meant it. He sighed. "Look, I'm not mad, I just… I want to understand. Why don't you take a minute to gather your thoughts, and when you're ready, you can start over and tell me what you need to. Sound good?" Karkat nodded, lifting his head. "Yeah, okay. I can do that." And so for a while, Signless waited as Karkat took some time to collect himself, anxiety creeping up his spine like ivy. He had no idea what Karkat would say, what the real truth would be. So when Karkat stated that he was ready, Signless had to push back his urge to lean forward like an excited wriggler. Karkat looked at Signless with a slight fear flashing in his eyes, and he had to take in another deep breath before he began. "Well… I guess I should start by saying… I'm from another timeline."


	31. Chapter 31

Karkat went on to explain the rest of his story to Signless the best he could, trying his best not to give too much away. He kept his descriptions minimal and tried not to bring up anything _too_ personal, although some things did slip out once or twice. He also made the decision to keep his kinship to Signless quiet. He was risking enough as it was without dropping _that_ bombshell. Once he had finished speaking, he inhaled deeply and looked over Signless's expression.

He was obviously shocked, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging partway open, as if he couldn't quite find the words to say. He leaned backward silently until his back was up against the stone wall, bringing one of his hands up to run it through his messy hair. Karkat sat tense in the silence, unsure of what Signless's response would be. The two sat in antagonizing silence for several more moments until Signless's shock had settled and he brought himself back from wherever his mind had gone.

"So," he started slowly,

"You came here from a time set far off into the future from my own, for reasons you cannot explain. And, within this time, our planet has been destroyed and you were in the process of trying to create a new one by playing some sort of… game?"

Karkat nodded. Signless furled his eyebrows in concentration, studying him with a newfound awe. _Great, now he probably thinks I'm a fucking nutcase._ Karkat could feel the apprehension rising in his chest. What would he do now? Would he throw him out? Perhaps he'd simply hand him over to one of the guards of the city and let them cull him. Maybe _he_ would kill him. As his thoughts began to run away down twisted paths, he heard Signless let out a faint noise. He looked up, startled, only to see that Signless was _laughing_. It was a soft chuckle at first, and then quickly grew into a loud, hearty laugh. _Oh god, he_ does _think I'm crazy._ Karkat looked at Signless with concern.

"You don't believe me, do you?" he muttered bitterly, causing Signless to cease his snickering. His eyes were now bright with excitement.

"What? No, no! I believe you, every word!"

Karkat was taken aback. _What?! Then what the hell is he laughing about?!_ Signless looked at Karkat with great enthusiasm.

"I believe you, because what you just told me is too _brilliant_ to be a lie. Throughout all my travels, no one has told me a story such as yours, because no one's imagination could stretch far enough. No one could come up with such things as you have told me, for they are beyond anyone's reach! This is quite a stunning development indeed!"

Karkat looked upon his ancestor in bewilderment. He now felt like the troll in front of him was a complete stranger speaking some foreign language he had never heard before. _Maybe_ he's _the crazy one._ But Signless continued on, his energy now seeming endless.

"Thank you greatly for sharing this with me Karkat. It fills me with a new found hope that of which I have never felt before. Now I know that what I'm doing is right. If there are trolls like you in the future ahead, then I must strive to make sure that future is achieved!"

Signless looked outside for a moment, his excitement switching to concern almost instantly.

"I won't tell anyone what you've shared with me, I swear it."

Karkat stared at him with wild confusion.

"What? But I thought you'd…"

Signless turned back to look at him, his tone now serious.

"You've risked enough by telling me what you have. I don't want to put you in any more danger then you're already in. I won't let anything else happen to you, alright? Your secrets are safe with me."

Karkat didn't respond, staring at his ancestor in stunned silence. He had greatly underestimated Signless. He had told him something impossible, and he'd believed it. Not only that, but he swore to keep quiet about it. Karkat felt the urge to stay pull at him even stronger, but with Aradia's vaguely ominous warning looming over him, he now no longer knew what he should do.

Psii and the others returned shortly after the discussion had ended, and Signless talked with the rest of them as if nothing had changed. But Karkat stayed quiet, sitting back away from the group. His instincts were at war with his emotions, and he couldn't stop hearing the word _leave_ shoot through his thoughts like a bullet. Images of leaving and never looking back flashed in his mind like lightning. But he couldn't do it; he couldn't just run out on them like that, not after all he'd been through.

Could he?


	32. Chapter 32

**((Sorry for my lack of updates! I would say it's all school but that's not entirely true. I'll try to update more frequently from now on I swear!))**

* * *

Karkat was still in conflict with himself by the next night, and the idea that his time to decide was running out… wasn't really helping. He left the cave with little explanation save "I need some air", and began to walk silently in no particular direction. No matter how hard he tried to come up with an answer, he just couldn't get rid of the question that loomed over his head.

 _What should I do?_ He shook his head in frustration. This was stupid. Why should he have to make decisions like this? He wasn't a leader anymore; he shouldn't have to handle these kinds of responsibilities.

"Dammit!" he hissed.

"If hadn't got myself into this mess in the fucking first place, I wouldn't have to put up with this shit!"

He kicked at a loose rock lying on the ground, sending up dust and dead leaves with it. This caused a slight twinge of pain in his side, reminding him of the still-healing cut that had almost killed him a few days earlier. _And then there's that fucking asshole._ He thought bitterly to himself, glancing at the city glowing in the distance. _I'll bet a million boon dollars that he's mugging someone right now, the bastard._ The memory of the bronze-blooded troll infuriated him even further. _If I ever see him again I'll-_ He cut his thought off, taking a quick glance at the cave before turning back to the city.

 _I probably won't run into him anyway. The city's too big, right? Three times in a row? I highly doubt it._ Without really thinking about it, he began to walk towards Myatt. He just needed something to get his mind off of all this time nonsense, if only for a few minutes. Maybe the bustle of the city streets could help him with that. _But if I_ do _see that fucker again-_ he thought sourly, _I'll make sure he doesn't catch me off guard again._ He honestly wasn't sure _exactly_ what he would do if he met the guy again, but he was working on it.

He entered the city within a few minutes, looking around at this place he was still unfamiliar with. He began to walk around a bit, making sure to keep tabs on where he was. _I am_ not _getting lost_ again. He thought as he passed through the town center again, the golden statue of the Condense still towering threateningly above him. He looked at it with an indignant sniff and continued walking, still on slight alert for the bronze-blood. He still highly doubted he would run into him. _But knowing my luck…_

He turned a corner onto a street with less activity, with only a few small shops scattered about it. He perused them as he passed by, not really seeing anything of interest. There was some fabric here, an old vase there; nothing really worth his time. As he removed his gaze away from the current shop next to him, he noticed what he thought looked like a familiar pair of horns slip through the small crowd. He almost let out a gasp of surprise. _No fucking way. Did I really-_ he shook his head. There was no way _._ But he had to settle his curiosity, and began to move in the direction where the horns had been.

 _I swear to gog if it's who I think it is…_ the thought slipped through his mind cynically. He moved briskly down the sidewalk, trying to catch a peek of the troll as he walked, but to no avail. He was still too far away, and the troll wasn't stopping either. Scenarios began to play out in Karkat's head. What would he even do if it _was_ him? He had no weapon to fight with, nor any means of getting help. Not to mention the guy probably knew his blood color now. He might just kill him the instant he saw him. There was no way to tell. _Gotta make sure it's him first._ So he continued to follow the troll until he reached a more residential-looking area, hives big and small replacing the shops and stalls. He narrowed his eyes to see the troll in front of him, the crowd now gone.

Sure enough, it was him, the rugged bronze-blood with the curled horns and the knife hanging off his belt. Karkat suddenly felt apprehensive. _Fuck, I knew it. Great. Now what? If he turns around, he'll see me. If he sees me, I'm fucked. Maybe I should just leave. It was a stupid idea to come here anyway. I should just-_ As he started to back out, the thug paused. _Shit._ Karkat tensed. Was it too late? Had he already known he was being followed? The thug began to look about himself slowly. Panicked, Karkat looked around for a hiding spot, or a weapon, or _something_. He had no idea what to do. Then a harsh chuckle made his blood run cold.

The thug, without turning around, let out a laugh.

"You really _are_ stupid, aren'tcha?"

* * *

 _((I feel lazy for throwing this guy in again, sorry if this seems half-assed. I'm gonna try to make this interaction a little different, if I can.))_


	33. Chapter 33

"I woulda thought the lick of a knife through ya' might've given you some sense," The troll snickered, turning around to stare at Karkat with cold eyes.

"Guess I thought wrong."

Karkat could feel his pulse beating in his head. He had no idea what would happen this time, or what this guy would do. He could sense a slight shift in this troll's demeanor, but Karkat had no clue what it was. Panicked, he took a step backward, ready to turn and run, but the thug stopped him cold when his arm moved down to the handle of his knife.

"Take another step, and this blade'll fly into ya faster than you can blink." Karkat gulped and stayed still, terror gripping him.

"Wh-what do you want?" he asked with a shaky breath. The thug gave him a sneer.

"Honestly, I'm gettin' pretty sick of you. We'd both be better off not meetin' again, wouldn't you agree?" Without waiting for any kind of response, he went on.

"So here's what's gonna happen. When I've said all I've needed to, yer goin' to turn around, run back to whatever place it is you come from. And if I ever see your face in this city again, well…" An evil grin appeared on his face as he paused, his cold eyes glittering.

"Let's just say I might let your little _secret_ slip to one of the guards 'round here. Now we wouldn't want _that,_ would we?"

Karkat fought to hold back a cry of despair. _Of course. My blood. He knows. How could he not? It was all over his knife. There's no way he couldn't know._ He was starting to feel lightheaded. Whatever this guy wanted, Karkat knew he had no choice to oblige. Not with his life at stake like this.

"I know, it's very generous of me, but I'm in a givin' mood. Now I'll make this short. Although I hate yer' stinkin' guts, ya got spunk, and even I can respect that. But ya need to know when to mind your own damn business."

He moved himself close to Karkat, the knife slipping out of its sheath. Karkat felt a chill go down his spine. The thug made no attempt to attack him, however, only raised the blade up until it was directly in from of Karkat's face.

"Now I'm guessin' you'd rather not get any more of your pathetic blood spilt, so listen up: Unless ya got a death wish, keep yer nose out of places it don't belong, ya got me?" Karkat nodded quickly, all too eager to get this guy and his knife away from him as soon as possible. The thug snorted and stepped back, sheathing his dagger.

"Alright, I've said my part. Now get the hell outta here before I change my mind." The thug muttered, turning his back to the younger troll. Karkat took a few steps back cautiously, worried he might end up stabbing him anyway, then quickly realized the guy was serious and whipped around, running at full speed down the street. He barely had time to process what had happened as he sprinted through the city, the gray streets whizzing by as he hurriedly returned to the safest place available.

When he finally got back, Signless was waiting outside the cave opening with a look of concern that quickly turned to shocked confusion as Karkat came running up.

"What hap-" Signless was cut off, caught off guard by Karkat suddenly embracing him tightly. Despite all his best efforts, Karkat couldn't stop himself from shaking, and honestly, he didn't care how pathetic he looked right now, he just needed some kind of _goddamn_ comfort. So he stood there, hugging Signless like a idiot while shivering and panting like a wet paw-beast, not looking up to see Signless's reaction. His ancestor stood frozen for a few moments before finally letting out a long sigh. He wrapped one arm around Karkat while softly ruffling his hair with the other.

"It's alright. Just calm down." he said quietly. Karkat took a few deep breaths, trying to steady his heart rate. Eventually he stepped away from Signless, his gaze directed at the ground.

"Sorry… I… uh…" But Signless just shook his head.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain. So long as you're not hurt." He turned back to the cave, gesturing Karkat to follow.

"Come, the sun will be out soon." So he went without another word, leaving Karkat to follow quietly behind, the icy orange eyes of the thug still burned in the back of his mind.


End file.
